Israel Reiterates Condolences Over Deaths of Seven World Central Kitchen Aid Workers.
Israel says military review identified operational failures and led to command and disciplinary measures.
Jerusalem:
Israel has reiterated its condolences to the families of the seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers who were killed in April 2024, describing the incident as a deeply regrettable tragedy.
In a statement, Israel said it had immediately initiated an examination of the incident through the General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM). According to the statement, the review identified operational failures and resulted in significant command and disciplinary measures.
Israel said the decision not to pursue a criminal investigation was made by the country’s independent military prosecution authorities, following what it described as strict professional and legal considerations.
Military prosecution cites legal threshold
According to Israel, a criminal investigation can be initiated when there is a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. The military prosecution authorities determined that the required legal threshold for opening such an investigation had not been met in this case.
Israel stressed that the decision was made independently by military prosecution authorities and was based on the applicable legal standards rather than solely on the findings of the operational review.
Israel highlights commitment to international law
The statement also sought to underline Israel’s position that its military operations are subject to extensive legal scrutiny.
Israel said it remains “deeply committed to international law” and subjects military operations to rigorous legal review. It further claimed that the standards applied to its operations exceed those used by many Western armed forces in recent conflicts.
The issue has remained closely watched because the victims were humanitarian workers operating as part of World Central Kitchen’s efforts to provide food assistance in Gaza.
Pledge to protect humanitarian personnel
Reiterating its position on humanitarian operations, Israel said it remains committed to protecting humanitarian personnel and ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law.
It also said that preventing similar incidents from occurring again remains a priority.
The seven WCK workers were killed in April 2024 in an Israeli strike in Gaza. The incident drew widespread international condemnation and renewed scrutiny of the protection of humanitarian personnel during armed conflicts.
Israel’s latest statement emphasises that the incident was subjected to an internal military review, that operational shortcomings were identified, and that command and disciplinary action followed, while the independent military prosecution authorities concluded that the legal threshold for a criminal investigation had not been met.
Israel again expressed its condolences to the families of those killed and said it remains committed to taking steps aimed at preventing a recurrence of such a tragedy.
