Australia downplays IOF WCK strike, blames 'mistaken identification'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Aug 2024 08:47
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The Israeli killing of an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian, and a Pole has triggered global outrage and a renewed push to ensure the safety of aid workers in Gaza.

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Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen wrecked by an Israeli in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (AP)

An Israeli strike that killed seven charity workers traveling 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 hit by an Israeli airstrike.

The Israeli killing of 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 oversaw "Israel's" investigation. His declassified report, released Friday, revealed that three vehicles in the aid convoy were "struck in relatively quick succession" after being flagged as "suspicious".

Binskin reportedly found that an Israeli surveillance drone identified the vehicles when it observed some of the "charity's security personnel carrying guns."

A "breakdown in situational awareness" and a sense of "confusion" meant "Israel" mistakenly identified them as "armed militants", rather than civilian security, as per the report.

It added that a major error was the failure to review the movement plan previously agreed upon between the military and the charity. "Israel" only realized the mistake about an hour later when reports began circulating on social media, according to the report.

However, the organization affirmed that the three World Central Kitchen vehicles were targeted after loading food from a nearby warehouse. The organization asserted that these vehicles were identifiable, and the Israeli military monitored their movements. Shortly after the Israeli massacre, the WCK released a statement saying that its "team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle."

Despite the numerous operational failures, Binskin's report concluded that "Israel's" response afterward was "timely" and "appropriate".

On this issue, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on "Israel" to apologize, stating that Canberra would keep pushing for "full accountability", which may include criminal charges.

"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," she added.

Dive deeper

This issue arises shortly after Declassified UK revealed, on July 23, that the UK Ministry of Defense possesses video surveillance footage of Gaza from the day "Israel" killed seven international aid workers in a massacre but is refusing to release it.

The footage, captured by a Royal Air Force (RAF) surveillance plane had documented approximately five hours over Gaza on April 1, when seven people working for the World Central Kitchen convoy were killed by "Israel", including three British military veterans: John Chapman, James Kirby, and James ‘Jim’ Henderson.

The RAF surveillance plane seemingly returned to its base in Cyprus just minutes before the airstrikes were launched.

As a result, the RAF may have recorded footage of the events leading up to the massacre, which could shed light on the Israeli occupation's claims by either proving or disproving whether or not "Hamas gunmen" were near the convoy, Declassified argued.

People have a right to know

Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, criticized "Israel’s" investigation into the incident, in which two senior officers were dismissed for what was described as a "grave mistake", Declassified UK wrote in their report.

Citing an interview for ABC, the report noted that Andres stated that "the investigation should be much more deeper…we need more information. We need to see better quality videos."

Moreover, according to Declassified UK, London is unlikely to become the source of this crucial footage, despite having reportedly conducted over 200 surveillance flights over Gaza to aid "Israel".

The UK military acknowledged, in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Declassified UK, that it holds "video footage of Gaza from the Shadow R1 [surveillance] flight on 1 April."

However, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has refused to release the tape, citing security reasons, and suggesting that its contents might involve UK special forces or MI6. Declassified plans to appeal the FOI decision and shared this information with some relatives of the deceased aid workers.

"This footage should not be kept hidden from our family," said Jim Henderson’s father Neil speaking to Declassified, adding that "the UK government must urgently disclose any evidence it holds" which might "shed light on why James was wrongly targeted by Israel."

Similarly, Forz Khan, the Henderson family’s lawyer, told Declassified that he is "writing to the new Labour government to demand answers on whether UK military and intelligence assistance to Israel has been used in attacks on British citizens in Gaza."

Some see the Australian government's remarks as downplaying the killing of charity workers, including its citizens, especially given that Declassified UK revealed on July 23 that the UK Ministry of Defense possesses video surveillance footage of Gaza from the day "Israel" killed the seven international aid workers in a massacre but is refusing to release it.