Serious mistakes led Israel to launch an airstrike on a humanitarian convoy that killed an Australian aid worker and six colleagues, government advice has found.
In early April, the Israel Defense Forces launched attacks that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six other World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers while they were delivering food in Gaza.
Amid outrage over the deaths, the Australian government announced that former Australian Defence Force chief Mark Binskin will serve as a special adviser to the government on Israel’s response to the incident.
The findings were officially announced on Friday.
“In my opinion, the IDF attack on WCK aid workers was not consciously or deliberately directed against the WCK,” he wrote.
He confirmed that the deaths were the result of serious failures by the Israel Defense Forces to follow procedures, misidentifications and errors in decision-making, agreeing with Israel’s assessment that the incident was a “serious mistake.”
The aid organization’s convoy included white trucks with World Central Kitchen identification stickers, but these were not visible at night, Binskin wrote.
Those at the brigade level of the Israel Defense Forces were unaware of all the details of the World Central Kitchen plan and were “certain that the ‘white vans’ were Hamas vehicles.”
Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom was killed in Israeli airstrikes while delivering food in central Gaza
“It appears that IDF controls failed, leading to errors in decision-making and misidentification, likely compounded by a level of confirmation bias,” the report said.
Mr Binskin said Israel’s response so far had been appropriate and “with a few exceptions, sufficient” but stressed that an apology must be made to the families of those killed.
It recommended that Australia request regular updates on the investigation.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government would implement all recommendations and reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Israel is bound by international law, which requires the protection of humanitarian workers. That clearly did not happen in the case of Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues at World Central Kitchen,” he told reporters in Adelaide.
‘The best protection for humanitarian workers – and civilians – is a ceasefire.
Ms Frankcom was one of seven World Central Kitchen volunteers killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes on Monday (pictured, the remains of one of the three cars)
We believe an apology is due, but I have also said that clear practical action is needed to ensure this tragedy is never repeated again.
Two Israeli officers have been dismissed and three have been reprimanded, but Frankcom’s family says this is not enough and has called for a criminal investigation.
“The Australian Government will continue to press for full accountability, including appropriate criminal charges,” Senator Wong said.
The World Central Kitchen hired local armed security for its aid convoy, which had not been approved in its coordination with the Israel Defense Force, giving “the appearance of Hamas’ presence.”
Later, an Israeli military official falsely claimed to have seen one of the convoy’s drivers place a “weapon” in the vehicle.
Israel launched the attack shortly afterwards.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Binskin’s report was unnecessary and said the appointment of the former ADF chief was a “politically-based decision”.
“The IDF has indicated that it made a mistake, as often happens in a theater of war,” he told reporters in Perth.
On Oct. 7, Hamas, which the government considers a terrorist organization, launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to more than 200 being taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities.
In the months since then, Israel has launched a bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza that has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.
Some 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced while 495,000 face catastrophic levels of food insecurity.