Australia says lethal Israeli strike on aid convoy result of 'serious failures'
Australian national Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed in April when their aid convoy to Gaza was mistakenly hit by an Israeli air strike.
Israel and Palestinian flags. Picture: 123Rf
SYDNEY - An Israeli strike that killed seven charity workers travelling in a Gaza aid convoy was the result of "serious failures" such as "mistaken identification", an Australian government probe released Friday found.
Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed in April when their aid convoy was mistakenly hit by an Israeli air strike.
The deaths - an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian, and a Pole - triggered global outrage and a renewed push to ensure the safety of aid workers in Gaza.
Former Australian air force chief Mark Binskin was tasked with monitoring Israel's investigation.
His declassified report, released Friday, found that three vehicles in the aid convoy were "struck in relatively quick succession" after they were tagged as suspicious.
An Israeli surveillance drone flagged the vehicles after noticing some of the charity's security personnel were carrying guns, Binskin found.
A "breakdown in situational awareness" and a sense of "confusion" meant Israel mistakenly identified them as armed militants, rather than civilian security.
One of the most significant errors was a failure to read the movement plan previously agreed to between the military and the charity.
Israel only discovered the mistake when reports started circulating on social media about one hour later, the report concluded.
Aside from the litany of operational failures, Binskin's report found that Israel's subsequent response had been "timely" and "appropriate".
Two officers were swiftly stood down and three others were reprimanded, according to the report.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged Israel to apologise, saying Canberra would continue to press for "full accountability,” including potential criminal charges.
CEASEFIRE CALLS
"The Australian government will persist until proper protections for aid workers are in place," she told reporters.
"The best protection for aid workers, and civilians, is a ceasefire."
Founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, US-based charity World Central Kitchen provides food to areas ravaged by humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
It was one of only two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid to Gaza by boat from Cyprus.
Having paused its Gaza work in the wake of the strike, World Central Kitchen resumed operations in late April.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously admitted that the military had "unintentionally" killed the volunteers.
The Gaza conflict erupted with Palestinian militant group Hamas's 7 October attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The militants seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom remain in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.
Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed at least 39,480 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from the territory's health ministry.