Israel's Army Calls World Central Kitchen's Aid Workers' Deaths in Gaza 'Grave Mistake'

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday that an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip that killed seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen (WCK) nonprofit organization was a "grave mistake" that resulted from a "misidentification" and that it "shouldn’t have happened."

"Last night, seven employees of the World Central Kitchen were killed ... The IDF completed a preliminary debrief. I want to be very clear - the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification - at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened ... This incident was a grave mistake," Halevi said in a video posted by the IDF.

Halevi apologized for "the unintentional harm to the members of WCK," adding that the Israeli army shares "the grief of their families, as well as the entire World Central Kitchen Organization, from the bottom of our hearts."

"We see great importance in the continued delivery of humanitarian aid and we will keep working to facilitate this vital effort," Halevi said.

He added that the organization works in Israel to "do good in difficult conditions," saying that the Israeli military "works together closely with the World Central Kitchen" and that it "greatly appreciates the important work that they do." The Israeli military will also share the findings of the investigation with WCK and other international organizations, he said.

The IDF "will continue taking immediate actions to ensure that more is done to protect humanitarian aid workers," Halevi said, adding that an independent body will investigate the incident "thoroughly" and will complete the investigation in the coming days.

On Monday, WCK staff were traveling "in a deconflicted zone" in two armored cars branded with the organization's logo, and a soft skin vehicle, the NGO said. The humanitarian convoy was attacked as it left the Deir al Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of food aid brought to Gaza by sea. The organization said that its convoy had coordinated its movements with the IDF.

The Israeli strike against the staff of the WCK killed seven employees from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom and Palestine, as well as a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. The organization suspended its operations in the Gaza Strip after the deadly incident.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops "unintentionally harmed non-combatants" in Gaza, adding that "this happens in war." Israel has launched an investigation into the matter to prevent it from happening again, he said.