Key Points
- Israeli says it will adjust its Gaza war tactics after an airstrike killing aid workers was a “mistake”.
- Investigation findings on the event is set to take weeks, according to an Israeli government spokeswoman.
- At least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the United Nations.
An Israeli government spokeswoman says the country’s forces will “adjust our practices in the future” to avoid a strike like that which killed seven aid workers including Australian Zomi Frankcom.
Israel says it will adjust its Gaza war tactics after the airstrike event, as its military acknowledges it as a major mistake, and inquiry findings would be made public soon.
Monday’s incident has stoked international anger at the mounting civilian toll in the Palestinian enclave, especially as the slain World Central Kitchen staff included Australian, UK and Polish citizens along with a US-Canadian dual citizen.
At least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile US President Joe Biden threatened on Thursday to condition support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza on it taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians, seeking for the first time to leverage US aid to influence Israeli military behaviour.
Biden, a lifelong supporter of Israel, has resisted pressure to withhold aid or halt the shipment of weapons to the country. His warning marked the first time he has threatened to potentially condition aid, a development that could change the dynamic of the nearly six-month-old war.
The death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza has prompted calls for accountability. Source: Supplied / SUPPLIED/PR IMAGE
Biden “made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers,” the White House said of the leaders’ phone call. It said the call lasted about 30 minutes.
The president “made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps,” the White House said in a statement.
Israel’s leaders have voiced sorrow over what the military called a “grave mistake” after the misidentification of a WCK convoy at night in a complex combat zone.
Charity founder chef Jose Andres said the convoy was “systematically” targeted even though Israel’s military was aware of his staff’s movements.
Asked to respond, Israeli government spokeswoman Raquela Karamson said during a media briefing: “This was unintended.”
“Clearly something went wrong here, and as we learn more and the investigation reveals exactly what happened, and the cause of what happened, we will certainly adjust our practices in the future to make sure this does not happen again.”
She said publication of the investigation’s findings could take weeks.
But the chief Israeli military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, appeared to give a much shorter timeline.
An investigators’ report was given to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, Hagari said in a televised statement.
“And I believe that, after we present this to the ambassadors from the respective countries, and to the members of the WCK organisation, we will make it public in a clear, transparent manner – and that will happen soon,” he said.
As a preliminary move to make amends for the WCK deaths, Israel said it would set up a joint operational co-ordination room with humanitarian agencies, located within the military’s Southern Command – where Gaza missions are directly managed.
An Israeli security official who spoke on condition of anonymity said ground forces in Gaza were down to about a quarter of their numbers at the height of the invasion, and focused on more pinpoint missions and securing conquered areas.
“This may have contributed to a feeling of ‘sitting duck’ vulnerability. Troops prefer to be on the offensive, rather than static and potentially open to attack or to seeing the enemy operate with relative freedom,” the official said.
“The investigation will have to determine, among other things, whether this kind of thinking affected the judgement of whoever decided that the convoy should be struck.”
The Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel retaliated by imposing a total siege on Gaza, then launching an air and ground assault that has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, say health authorities in Gaza.
