The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged responsibility for mistakenly striking a humanitarian convoy that killed seven aid workers Monday in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.
The World Central Kitchen (WCK), the aid organization whose convoy was attacked, issued a statement that said their staff had coordinated their movements with the IDF and “was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.” (RELATED: Airstrike Reportedly Kills Top Iranian Military Commander, Levels Iranian Consulate In Syria)
Video of the stricken cars was tweeted out by Emanuel Fabian, a military correspondent for The Times of Israel. “Palestinian media publish footage showing what it says are the two World Central Kitchen vehicles hit by Israeli fire overnight in the central Gaza Strip,” Fabian said in his tweet.
Palestinian media publish footage showing what it says are the two World Central Kitchen vehicles hit by Israeli fire overnight in the central Gaza Strip.
The video shows one car, with the WCK logo, with a damaged roof, indicating it was hit from the air.
A second car seen in… pic.twitter.com/83xPxpbWQH
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 2, 2024
The video shows very evident damage to both vehicles. One car has a hole blown through its roof that has a visible WCK logo on it, while the second car shows much more external damage.
WCK announced in the press relase that they were suspending their operations in the Gaza Strip and will make a final determination “about the future of our work soon.”
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” Erin Gore, CEO of WCK, said in the press release.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari issued his condolences and promised a thorough investigation into the incident by “an independent, professional and expert body” whose findings would be “transparently” shared. Hagari additionally emphasized the partnership between the IDF and WCK in pursuit of “their noble mission of helping bring food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza” and said Israel was grateful to the organization for assisting Israelis in the aftermath of “the massacre of October 7th.”
“The work of WCK is critical; they are on the frontlines of humanity,” Hagari said.
IDF spokesperson, RAdm. Daniel Hagari, spoke with @WCKitchen founder, @chefjoseandres, and expressed the IDF’s deepest condolences to the entire World Central Kitchen family.
The work of WCK is critical. pic.twitter.com/nRUYZVxif3
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 2, 2024
“Unfortunately, in the last day there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, The Times of Israel reported. “It happens in war; we will investigate it right to the end … We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”