Death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom result of Israel’s ‘procedural failures’

The death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom was a result of the Israeli Defence Force’s “serious procedural failures”, an Australian special adviser report has found.

The World Central Kitchen aid worker was killed in Gaza on April 1 after Israeli armed drones attacked a convoy of vehicles she was travelling in, sparking international condemnation of Israel’s practices in the war.

Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, 43, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza while helping to deliver food.Credit: Facebook

An investigation by the Israeli Defence Force released on April 5 found the tragedy was caused when Israeli officers identified two gunmen travelling with the three aid trucks. At the time, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was not satisfied with the information and appointed Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin to serve as special adviser to the government on Israel’s response to the strikes.

The report, released on Friday, found it was likely that the armed security for the World Central Kitchen aid convoy “gave the appearance of the presence of Hamas” as it had not been notified or approved by a unit of the Israeli government called the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza (CLA).

Binskin also found the strike was caused by “the failure within the IDF to ensure proper dissemination of the coordination details of the World Central Kitchen movements associated with the convoy”.

In addition, Binskin said the strike occurred because there was an “inability for real-time communication between the World Central Kitchen personnel in Gaza and the CLA”.

“All led to a significant breakdown in situation awareness, predominantly in the lower levels of the IDF’s command and control decision-making,” Binskin’s report said.

“In response, the IDF acted in a timely manner to conduct an initial investigation, make those findings public and hold those responsible to account.

“It is important to all the families that an appropriate apology be provided to them by the government of Israel.”

Binskin made a series of recommendations for the government, including that Australia should maintain calls for Israel to improve coordination with aid organisations and for there to be further advocacy for “deconfliction measures in Gaza, particularly in relation to the assurance of delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians”.

Speaking at a press conference from Adelaide on Friday, Wong repeated the report’s call for an apology from Israel to the families of Frankcom and her six colleagues, saying the government would continue to advocate on behalf of Frankcom’s family and will adopt all of Binskin’s recommendations.

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“Ms Frankcom’s family, who I have spoken to, are firmly of the view that further action is necessary, including a criminal investigation, and they feel that the disciplinary action taken today is insufficient,” Wong said.

“The Australian government will continue to press for full accountability, including any appropriate criminal charges, and we will continue to advocate the views of the Frankcom family … we do believe an apology should be provided.”

The United Nations has reported that more than 250 aid workers have been killed since the start of the Gaza conflict, and Wong argued this proved Frankcom’s death “was not a one-off incident”.

“This is not acceptable and this is why the government is implementing all of Air Chief Marshal Binskin’s recommendations,” she said.

Wong did not go into detail on whether Israel would provide an apology but said she would continue to advocate on behalf of the family.

Frankcom’s family said that the report was an “important first step” and hoped it would be followed by further investigations.

A spokesperson for the family said they were grateful for the detailed discussion they had with Binskin and DFAT personnel.

“We appreciate that Mr Binskin’s role had some limitations, but his report is an important first step. We hope it will be followed by further investigations in Israel regarding those responsible for this tragic event, followed by appropriate action,” the spokesperson said.

“The supportive comments of the Australian foreign minister, Senator Penny Wong, and the Australian government, also mean a great deal to us.”

Binskin said Israel had been “very forthcoming” during the investigation and his findings aligned with Israel’s initial report which said those who approved the strike were convinced they were targeting armed Hamas operatives. Two officers involved in the deadly incident were suspended from the IDF in April.

In response to the report, Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said it “largely confirmed Israel’s accountability, transparency and co-operation”.

“[This] will only add to questions about whether domestic politics led to the Albanese government pursuing this unprecedented review of a foreign government’s military operations,” he said.

Peak body for humanitarian action the Australian Council for International Development also released a statement, saying aid workers must be ensured safety.

“This conflict has demonstrated a serious disregard for the safety of humanitarian personnel, resulting in devastating consequences … we call for consultation with humanitarian agencies as the Australian government makes further representations to the Israeli government,” ACFID’s humanitarian advisor Naomi Brooks said.

Chief executive of the Zionist Federation of Australia Alon Cassuto said the report reaffirmed that while Franckom’s death was tragic, “the IDF did not and does not target aid workers or any civilians”.

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