The Israeli military has justified the killing of 7 aid workers in Gaza, saying they were targeting a "Hamas gunman".
The victims were killed in 3 air strikes over 4 minutes by an Israeli drone while fleeing for their lives.
"The investigation of the General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism into the incident in which 7 World Central Kitchen (WCK) employees were killed during a humanitarian operation in the Gaza Strip has been completed," reads the (IDF) official statement on the deaths of 7 WCK aid workers on April 1.
"The investigation found that the forces identified a gunman in one of the aid trucks, and then identified another gunman. After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid was unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed that the gunmen were in the accompanying vehicles and that they were Hamas terrorists," it added.
The victims were killed in 3 airstrikes over 4 minutes by an Israeli drone while fleeing between their three vehicles. The incident sparked international backlash.
According to the IDF, "the incident should not have happened."
"Hitting the humanitarian aid vehicles was a serious mistake. It stemmed from a serious failure due to misidentification, errors in decision-making and an attack in violation of Standard Operating Procedures."
As a result of what happened, "the commander of the fire support brigade, an officer with the rank of colonel in the reserves, will be relieved of duty. In addition, the brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander will be formally reprimanded.
The IDF expressed its "deep sorrow for the loss" and "sent its condolences to the families and the WCK organization."
The IDF also stressed its commitment to fighting the Hamas terrorist organization by "respecting IDF values, the laws of war and avoiding harming civilians." / BGNES
