Ambassador Says Israel Grieves Over Aid Workers Death After IDF Findings

Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, has acknowledged that mistakes were made during a drone strike in Gaza that killed an Australian aid worker on April 1, 2024, while expressing condolences to the victim’s family.The comments came after Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong summoned Newman to convey Australia’s “outrage” that the Israeli government is not pursuing criminal charges over the attack.Following an investigation into the incident, the Israeli government removed some personnel from service and formally reprimanded others, but opponents have called for criminal charges against those responsible.“We express deep sorrow and grief with the family of Zomi Frankcom, and I’d like to tell them straightforward: we we grieve with you,” Newman told reporters.“We are sorry for the circumstances that brought about this death.”While expressing condolences, the ambassador said the findings of the IDF’s investigation should be respected.“One cannot attack findings of a court if the findings are not suitable to one’s political agenda,” he said.“The findings of the court came to the conclusion after two years of independent research that there’s no criminal liability. We must respect that, as we do in every case of a investigation.”Australian woman Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom was killed alongside six of her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues from Gaza, Poland, Canada and the United Kingdom after their convoy was struck by an Israeli drone during the Israel-Hamas war.WCK is a humanitarian aid organisation which distributes meals in war and disaster zones, and had reportedly informed the Israeli military of its movements at the time of being struck.The charity also said its vehicles, which were moving in a convoy of three, had been marked with the WCK logo.Wong Criticises IDF’s DecisionIn a statement, Wong said Frankcom’s death came as a direct result of serious failures to follow Israeli Defence Force (IDF) procedures combined with mistaken identification and errors in decision-making.“The Australian government learned of Israel’s decision late last night [Aug. 19], moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day—which is especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians,” she said.“Zomi represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated. Her family deserves justice.“This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect.”Wong also said Australia would consider “next steps.”“Democracies seek and accept higher standards,” she said. “The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues.”WCK said the charity believed there was no justification for the attacks, claiming the IDF was aware of the charity’ s movements, identities and activities in advance and that it had been unarmed and clearly visible.“We continue to demand truth and justice for our team and their families,” it said in a statement.“We continue to demand an independent commission to investigate the airstrikes because the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own conduct.“And we continue to grieve the loss of our friends.”IDF Explains Its FindingIn a statement, the IDF’s Military Advocate General’s Corps explained its disciplinary decision.“As part of the IDF’s obligations under international law and Israeli domestic law, the IDF examines exceptional incidents that occurred during combat,” it said.The IDF said on the day of the incident, troops had identified a gunman on a truck in the convoy.“The troops also identified vehicles surrounding the trucks in a manner that, in their assessment, and based on accumulated operational experience, corresponded to a scenario in which the Hamas terrorist organisation had taken control of the convoy,” the statement said.The IDF said its investigation found WCK had enlisted an armed security force to accompany the convoy due to delayed hours and having to complete a trip in the dark, in order to protect against armed threats in Gaza.Further, the IDF said the charity did not coordinate the additional security measure with them.The investigation also noted that once the convoy had arrived at its warehouse destination and unloaded aid, several individuals were mistakenly identified as armed persons.The IDF said the convoy took a different route from the one planned with the IDF when leaving the warehouse, leading the military to mistakenly believe that Hamas operatives had taken control of the vehicles.The statement said the IDF had attempted to contact WCK representatives prior to the drone attack, but were not successful.In light of the findings, the IDF removed a major and a colonel from their positions. Additionally, a colonel, a brigadier general and a major general were formally reprimanded.The IDF acknowledged serious failures in the process that led to the assessment that Hamas had taken control of the vehicles, but said the commanders’ decisions did not amount to criminal misconduct.