The Israeli army announced on Friday that it was targeting a “Hamas militant” when it killed 7 humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip, and acknowledged that it had committed a series of “serious mistakes” and violations of its own laws.
The seven workers were killed in 3 raids within 4 minutes by an Israeli drone, while they were fleeing from one car to another, according to what the Israeli army said, which indicated an “operational error in assessing the situation” after spotting an armed man suspected of being from the Hamas movement.
The Israeli bombing sparked international condemnation. The army conducted an internal investigation and announced its results on Friday.
Retired General Yoav Har-Even, who is leading the investigation, said that the two officers, a colonel and a major, who ordered the bombing, had been fired.
Israeli officers broadcast to journalists video clips taken by a drone of a person they presented as a “Hamas member” who had joined the procession of the “World Central Kitchen” organization, which is based in the United States.
The convoy was transporting aid to the northern Gaza Strip. It was bombed in Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip.
The three cars had the organization’s logo on their roof, but Har Even said that the drone’s camera could not see the logo because of the darkness.
“This was an essential element in the sequence of events,” he said.
The organization’s team of workers includes an Australian, a Polish, an American-Canadian, three Britons, and a Palestinian.
#Bilad #newspaper #Israeli #army #publishes #results #investigation #killing #aid #workers #Gaza
