The IDF dismissed two senior officers responsible for the operation that resulted in the deaths of seven aid workers during a briefing for journalists on Thursday evening.
On Monday, the Israeli military targeted trucks from the charity WCK that were delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, suspecting the presence of armed Hamas militants.
The decision to remove the officers was made following an initial investigation conducted by Reserve Major General Yoav Har Even.
The investigation found that an army unit, observing the convoy from the air without knowledge of its approved passage by army leadership, mistakenly believed that the trucks had been hijacked by Hamas militants. Consequently, the military conducted three air strikes, which violated established norms.
According to the IDF statement, WCK personnel were distributing food that had arrived by sea from Cyprus and was unloaded at a newly constructed pier in northern Gaza. The volunteers coordinated their activities with the Israeli military and were tasked with delivering the goods to a warehouse several kilometers inland from the sea.
The IDF tracked the convoy to a warehouse, where a truck carrying aid stopped and four SUVs emerged from the convoy. One of the SUVs drove north, carrying armed individuals, as observed in drone footage.
The IDF refrained from attacking them due to their proximity to the warehouse.
The remaining three SUVs, which were WCK vehicles, headed south.
The drone footage revealed that the WCK markings on the vehicles were not distinguishable from the air that night. The drone operators mistakenly identified the individuals as Hamas militants rather than volunteers.
Additionally, the military misidentified one of the volunteers entering an SUV as a militant, and the bag he was carrying as a weapon. The IDF attempted to contact WCK coordinators at that moment, but the unstable telephone connection and restrictions on the use of walkie-talkies prevented effective communication with charitable organizations.
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