The IDF has taken full responsibility for the airstrike in Gaza that killed seven volunteers of the international aid organization World Central Kitchen.
IDF Southern Command head, Major General Yaron Finkelman, will present Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi with the findings of the initial investigation conducted by the IDF regarding the incident that took place overnight between Monday and Tuesday in the central Gaza Strip.
There has been public outcry in response to the attack from around the world. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the tragedy on Tuesday afternoon upon his release from Hadassah-Ein Kerem Hospital after hernia surgery, where he publicly admitted for the first time that the attack had been carried out by the IDF.
"Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence," Netanyahu said in a statement.
Preliminary information about the incident indicates that Israeli Air Force drones attacked three vehicles of the aid organization, after they had taken food from an aid ship of the organization that arrived at the pier located in the west of Gaza City. The ship was financed by the United Arab Emirates, similar to other ships that have brought aid to the temporary port and which is under IDF security and supervision.
According to initial information, The remotely controlled aircraft attacked the convoy with small missiles, and the attack did not stop even after some of the occupants of the first vehicle that was attacked got out of it to receive medical assistance. Six of the workers who were killed are citizens of foreign countries, which are in contact with Israel, and the seventh is a Palestinian who works for the organization.
In addition, the IDF is investigating a report saying an IDF sniper fired at a vehicle belonging to the same aid organization last week, in an incident that ended without casualties near the Netzarim Corridor, intended to prevent the return of Palestinian residents to their homes in the northern part of the Strip, as well as to secure and inspect the humanitarian aid reaching the 300,000 Gazans remaining in northern Gaza.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz spoke with the foreign ministers of Australia, Poland and Great Britain later on Tuesday. He expressed his condolences for the death of their citizens in the incident in which seven aid workers from World's Central Kitchen were killed in the central Gaza Strip in an IDF attack, and promised that a thorough investigation will be done to prevent the recurrence of similar cases. Katz also noted the importance of the humanitarian aid provided by WCK, and made it clear that Israel attaches importance to maintaining the safety of all the workers of the humanitarian organizations in Gaza.
Senior political officials say that the case of the deaths of WCK workers caused Israel damage, but not too much, since Jerusalem was quick to take responsibility and apologize. "It is assumed that Israel will have to pay compensation to their families," the sources estimated.
IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari addressed the incident earlier on Tuesday. "Last night an incident took place in Gaza that led to the tragic death of the workers of the World Central Kitchen, while they were fulfilling their vital mission - to bring food to those in need."
"As a professional military committed to international law, we are committed to examining our operations thoroughly and transparently," he said. "I just spoke to WCK Founder, Chef Jose Anders, and expressed the deepest condolences of the IDF to the families and the entire World Central Kitchen family."
Hagari spoke in a video clip released by the military to the foreign press. "We also express sincere sorrow to our allied nations who have been doing and continue to do so much to assist those in need. We have been reviewing the incident at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what happened and how it happened, Hagari said. "We will be opening a probe to examine this serious incident further. This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again.
He said the incident would be probed by the Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, an independent, professional and expert body.
"For the last few months, the IDF has been working closely with the World Central Kitchen to assist them in fulfilling their noble mission of helping bring food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. WCK also came to help Israelis after the massacre of October 7th; they were one of the first NGOs here. The work of WCK is critical; they are on the frontlines of humanity. We will get to the bottom of this and we will share our findings transparently."