Israel accuses Wong of ‘misrepresenting’ aid worker deaths report

Tensions between Israel and the federal government have intensified following the release of a high-profile report into the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom as Israeli officials accused Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong of misrepresenting the findings.

Israeli officials were angered by Wong’s response to former Australian Defence Force chief Mark Binskin’s report on Friday, believing she overemphasised its negative conclusions and downplayed more positive aspects.

Zomi Frankcom, one of the aid workers killed in an airstrike in April, at a World Central Kitchen site in March.

Israeli officials were especially incensed that Wong described the April killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers as an “intentional strike” on Friday when Binskin’s report affirmed the Israel Defence Forces’ initial finding that workers were not deliberately targeted and their deaths were a result of procedural failures.

In its first statement since the report’s release, the Israeli embassy in Canberra said the IDF had taken “full responsibility for the grave mistakes that led to the tragic incident”, but stopped short of delivering an official apology recommended by Binskin and backed by the Albanese government.

“The Australian government’s statement about the report regrettably included some misrepresentations about omitted crucial details with respect to the manner in which the report was conducted, the degree of co-operation and openness exhibited by the IDF, and even with respect to certain aspects of the tragic incident itself,” the embassy said.

“The report explicitly reaffirms that the IDF is a professional and disciplined army, with similar legal views, standards and controls in place to mitigate the risks of war, like the ADF [Australian Defence Force].”

Relations between Israel and the federal government have deteriorated as the war in Gaza has continued. Israel opposed Australia’s decision to back resolutions supporting a ceasefire and greater representation for Palestine at the United Nations.

The embassy said while Binskin “had no investigative authority or mandate”, the IDF “fully engaged with him and provided him with access to all areas requested, including evidence, high-level officials and operational processes, in order to contribute to the Australian people’s understanding of how this incident occurred and how it has been investigated”.

The embassy noted Binskin’s report found it was likely the security contractors employed in Gaza by World Central Kitchen gave the appearance of a Hamas presence and that it could not be ruled out that the security personnel had links to Hamas.

Wong said on Friday the government believed Israel should apologise to Frankcom’s family and that it would continue to press for any appropriate criminal charges.

Wong’s office was contacted for comment on Monday.

The Frankcom family said in a statement that while Binskin’s role had some limitations, they regarded his report as 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 family said.

Hamas militants attacked Israeli towns on October 7, killing 1200 people and abducting 250. In its campaign since, Israel has killed more than 39,363 Palestinians and wounded almost 91,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

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