Israel ‘won’t co-operate with foreign probes into WCK strike’

The IDF reportedly won’t permit WCK or any international investigators access to the officers involved in the incident that killed seven aid workers.

One of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), targeted by the Israeli Defence Forces. Picture: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto.

Israel is reportedly refusing to co-operate with any external probes into the strike on World Central Kitchen vehicles that killed seven aid workers in Gaza last week.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Jerusalem and the Israeli Defence Forces will not permit WCK or any international investigators direct access to the IDF officers involved in the incident, which the Post points out is a “a basic minimum requirement for performing a true probe that could seriously second-guess the IDF”.

The strike on the WCK workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, has infuriated world leaders including Anthony Albanese, who has said intelligence from the Israelis’ inquiry into the attack “hasn’t yet satisfied expectations.”

The initial Israeli investi­gation – rejected as unsatisfactory by Australia and other nations – found drone strikes on the three WCK aid vehicles occurred after IDF troops mistakenly determined Hamas gunmen were travelling with the aid convoy. Two Israeli officers were dismissed from their positions over the tragedy, and two senior commanders were reprimanded.

Australia has appointed Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin special adviser to the government on Israel’s response to the disaster. Air Chief Marshal Binskin will be tasked with engaging with Israel and the IDF on the response to the attack, with Mr Albanese expressing his hope that he would have “full access” to the Israeli investigation.

However the Jerusalem Post, citing multiple sources, said “any foreign probe will not actually have the access to key officials that the IDF probe had”.

IDF spokesman Peter Lerner said on Wednesday he didn’t know if the military would

cooperate with Air Chief Marshal Binskin’s probe, and that the decision was for the governments involved.

However he told ABC News Breakfast Israel should be “accountable for the failure” that led to the aid workers’ deaths.

“I can appreciate the difficulty in understanding what transpired. We have a terrorist organisation that uses these types of vehicles to mobilise within the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“The fire support officer made a wrong connection between the gunmen and these vehicles and not knowing that these vehicles are WCK, created that connection, he didn’t confirm it ... there was not intelligence beyond the visual intelligence which was a misinterpretation of what he was seeing.”

He said the strike involved individual, organisational and coordination failures.

Mr Lerner also rejected claims the IDF has a culture of “shoot first, ask questions later”.

“I don’t accept that. I think that, both from my experience and knowledge, and also there has been over 7,000 coordinated humanitarian movements that have been conducted throughout the course of the last six months throughout this war, there’s lots of challenges and question marks,” he said.

“The fog of war is not just called the fog of war as a headline, it’s a reality ... We feel that we have to be held accountable for the failure.”

Meanwhile US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said he believes Israel was prepared to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, but the response from the militant organisation was “less than encouraging”

“We’ve seen the public statements from Hamas that have been, shall we say, less than encouraging,” Mr Sullivan said, old reporters, but added that mediator Qatar had not received a final answer yet from the group.

“There could be a ceasefire in place today that would extend for several weeks to be built upon longer if Hamas would be prepared to release some of (the hostages), so let’s train the attention where it belongs, which is the world should say at this moment that ‘Hamas, it’s time. Let’s go. Let’s get that ceasefire.”

“I believe Israel is ready and Hamas should step up to the table and be prepared to do so as well,” he said.

As Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that a Rafah invasion will take place, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he doubted an attack would happen before new talks next week in Washington.

At a joint news conference with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, Mr Blinken said Israel had not communicated a date for an operation to the US and that an Israeli delegation would visit Washington next week to hear their concerns.

“I don’t anticipate any actions being taken before those talks; for that matter, I don’t see anything imminent,” Mr Blinken said.

Washington would again make the case that major military operations in Rafah would be “extremely dangerous for civilians who have been caught in harm’s way,” he added.

With AFP