The head of Israel's military announced Wednesday that a preliminary investigation had confirmed Israel's responsibility for the attack that killed seven aid workers Monday night.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff LTG Herzi Halevi said in a video statement posted to X that the strike was a "grave mistake" that "shouldn't have happened."
"I want to be very clear -- the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers," the X post said, quoting the general.
"It was a mistake that followed a misidentification -- at night during a war in very complex conditions," it continued. It shouldn’t have happened.”
You can see the entire statement below.
“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.”
Watch the full statement by IDF Chief of the… pic.twitter.com/JnvoJOTVg9
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 2, 2024
"The initial findings were just presented to me here in the Southern Command," Halevi said.
Halevi noted also that the IDF worked closely with the World Central Kitchen -- the organization with which the killed aid workers were affiliated -- and said the group does "important work" in "difficult situations."
The general said the IDF had established a new "Humanitarian Command Center" to help prevent such accidents from occurring in the future, and said more would be done to protect aid workers.
"Israel is at a war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza," he said, before apologizing for the airstrike.
"We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK," he said. "We share in the grief of the families, as well as the entire World Central Kitchen organization, from the bottom of our hearts."
He also promised a more thorough investigation into the incident by an "independent body," the results of which would be shared with "international relevant organizations" and used to drive changes to improve IDF operations to protect aid workers.
He concluded by promising to continue to work to "facilitate" the delivery of aid to civilians in Gaza despite the ongoing war.
President Joe Biden claimed to be "outraged and heartbroken" by the attack, Reuters reported Tuesday.
In a statement cited by the outlet, Biden said the investigation "must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public," all of which Halevi had already promised would be the case.
"Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen," he added, according to The Associated Press.
