2024-04-03 08:00:20
This content was published on April 3, 2024 – 08:00
(Keystone-ATS) The Israeli army admitted on Wednesday to having made “a serious mistake” by killing seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli strike sparked strong reactions, particularly in the West.
“It was an error which followed a poor identification at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. This should not have happened,” Israeli Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi added in a video message.
“We share the mourning of the families [des victimes] and the entire World Central Kitchen organization, from the bottom of my heart,” continued General Halevi. “An independent body will fully investigate the event and report its findings in the coming days,” he announced.
Based in the United States, WCK, one of the rare NGOs still operating in the Palestinian territory devastated by nearly six months of war between Israel and the Islamist movement Hamas, announced that it was suspending its operations in the region following the strike, which occurred Monday evening. in Deir al-Balah (center). According to WCK, the victims are three Britons, an American-Canadian, a Pole, an Australian and a Palestinian.
Biden “outraged”
Since the start of the war, WCK has participated in humanitarian operations by providing meals in the Palestinian territory, where the majority of the approximately 2.4 million inhabitants are threatened with famine, according to the UN. She helped send the first aid boat from Cyprus via a sea corridor to Gaza in mid-March.
Israeli Head of State Isaac Herzog expressed his “deep sadness and sincere apologies” in a statement on Tuesday evening.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recognized an “unintentional” strike and a “tragic” event.
Several countries and organizations expressed their indignation, including the UN, which denounced a “disregard for international humanitarian law”, and the United States, Israel’s historic allies, which called for a “rapid and impartial” investigation.
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he was “outraged” following the Israeli strike in Gaza, believing that Israel does not “enough” protect volunteers coming to the aid of the “starving” Palestinian population.
“Even more tragic, this is not an isolated event,” he lamented in a press release. “This conflict has been one of the worst in recent history in terms of the number of aid workers killed,” he continued, adding that such deaths should “simply not happen”.
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