From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
IDF takes responsibility for strike on aid workers in Gaza, will release initial probe in coming days
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The IDF has taken responsibility for the strike in the central Gaza Strip last night, killing seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen.
The military acknowledges that it carried out the strike south of Deir al-Balah, although it says it does not know the full circumstances yet. Regardless, the IDF says the strike was a serious incident that shouldn’t have happened.
In a video statement earlier today, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said he had spoken to the founder of WCK to express his condolences over the strike.
An initial IDF probe into the incident is expected to be released to the public in the coming days, while the General Staff Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism — an independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents amid the war — will carry out a more in-depth investigation.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is personally involved in the military’s response to the incident, including updating the head of the US Central Command on the strike.
Halevi is due to meet with the head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman, today to be briefed on the military’s initial probe into the strike.
The chief of staff is also set to inaugurate a new command center with the Defense Ministry’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), aimed at better coordinating humanitarian activity in the Gaza Strip.
