SYDNEY: An Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers in a Gaza convoy was the result of “mistaken identification” and a raft of other serious failures, the Australian government found in a report released on Friday.

Australian national Lalzawmi Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed when their convoy, working to distribute food and water, was mistakenly hit by Israeli missiles in April.

Canberra is now pushing for Israel to apologise to the victims’ families and urging its military to rethink how it engages with aid groups in the Palestinian enclave.

The deaths of an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian and a Pole triggered global outrage.

Former Australian Air Force chief Mark Binskin was tasked with monitoring Israel’s investigation.

His declassified report, released on Friday, found three trucks in the aid convoy were “struck in relatively quick succession”.

An Israeli surveillance drone flagged the vehicles after noticing some of the charity’s security escort were carrying guns, Binskin found.

A “breakdown in situational awareness” and a sense of “confusion” led to the “mistaken identification” of these security staff.

Lethal error

Photos showed how one of the missiles obliterated the interior of a white aid truck after piercing a hole in its roof, which was emblazoned with the charity’s logo.

Another significant blunder was the failure to read the movement plan previously agreed on by the military and the charity.

Israel only discovered the lethal error when reports started circulating on social media about an hour later, the report concluded.

Aside from the litany of “serious failures” uncovered, Binskin’s report said Israel’s actions in the months following had been “timely” and “appropriate”.

Two officers were quickly stood down and three others were reprimanded. Israel was swift to issue a public apology. However, the report concluded the Israeli military needed to do more to make amends with the victims’ families.

“The families do not consider this to be a proper apology at the appropriate level,” it read. “Nor do they feel reassured that lessons have truly been taken from the incident and that measures have been put in place to reduce the chance of it happening again.”

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra would continue to press for “full accountability” — including potential criminal charges. “We do believe an apology should be provided,” Wong told reporters.

Ceasefire calls

“The Australian government will persist until proper protections for aid workers are in place,” she added. “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.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024