Blinken: US is reviewing Israel report on deadly strike of aid workers "very carefully" after receiving it
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses a media conference after a joint EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on April 4. Johanna Geron/AP
The US received Israel’s report on the deadly strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza and is “reviewing it very carefully,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.
“It's very important that Israel is taking full responsibility for this incident. It's also important that it appears to be taking steps to hold those responsible accountable,” he said in remarks before departing Belgium.
“We'll be discussing its conclusions with Israeli officials and with humanitarian organizations in the days to come,” Blinken added. The top US diplomat noted that “even more important is making sure that steps are taken going forward to ensure that something like this can never happen again.”
Blinken earlier Friday called for an “independent, thorough, and fully publicized investigation” into the Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers. Blinken reiterated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated to President Joe Biden that Israel would be "making further changes to its procedures to make sure that those who are providing assistance to people who so desperately need it in Gaza are protected.”
“So we're going to be looking very carefully at what those steps are, how it achieves better deconfliction, better coordination, so that aid workers are protected,” he added.
9:21 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
Israeli hostage "most likely" killed by Israeli combat helicopter on October 7, Air Force investigation finds
From CNN’s Benjamin Brown in London
Efrat Katz, kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Poitout Florian/ABACA/Shutterstock
An Israeli hostage on October 7 was likely killed by fire from an Israeli combat helicopter that was firing at a vehicle with militants, an Israeli Air Force investigation has found.
Israeli Efrat Katz was likely killed when an Israeli helicopter struck the vehicle that the 67-year-old was in together with other hostages and militants. The Israeli military fired at the vehicle without knowing that hostages were in the vehicle alongside the militants, according to the Air Force investigation. The findings were presented to Katz’s family and the families of the hostages involved in the incident Friday.
Katz was kidnapped from her home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel by militants from Gaza. Nir Oz is roughly 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the Gaza border. The investigation into her death was carried out by an air force team and was based on witness testimony and video footage. It was conducted alongside “in-depth examinations of all the combat incidents” on October 7.
“As a result of the fire, most of the terrorists manning the vehicle were killed, and most likely, Efrat Katz was killed as well,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday. The investigation found that the Israeli hostages in the vehicle “could not be distinguished by the existing surveillance systems, and the shooting was defined as shooting at a vehicle with terrorists.”
The IDF called the incident a “tragic and unfortunate event that took place in the midst of fighting and conditions of uncertainty.” The commander of the air force “did not find fault in the operation by the helicopter crew, who operated in compliance with the orders in a complex reality of war,” the IDF added.
10:32 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
The IDF has published its report into the deadly strikes on aid workers. Here’s what we know
From CNN's Christian Edwards
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza on Monday, sparking international outrage.
On Friday, the IDF published a report into the killings, which it said violated its own protocols and should not have happened. The WCK has called for further independent investigations, saying the IDF cannot be trusted to “investigate its own failure in Gaza.”
Here’s what we know.
What the IDF said happened: The IDF has been trying to track down and kill Hamas militants in Gaza for nearly six months, and has long accused Hamas of embedding itself with civilians. It said its forces identified a gunman in an aid truck on Monday, and then identified an additional gunman.
“After the vehicles left the warehouse where the aid had been unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly assumed the gunmen were located inside the accompanying vehicles and that these were Hamas terrorists,” it said.
The IDF said it did not identify the vehicles as belonging to WCK and so proceeded to target the three vehicles, leading to the deaths of the seven workers.
Separately, an IDF spokesperson told CNN that the unit responsible mistook “something slung over one of the passenger’s shoulders as a weapon,” when in fact it was a bag.
The official also confirmed that some of the aid workers who survived the first Israeli strike on their vehicle then fled to other vehicles, before being struck again.
The spokesperson said the surveillance drones could not see the WCK logo on the vehicles at night, and so are considering “distributing thermal stickers for aid vehicles” to prevent such attacks from happening again.
Who the IDF dismissed and punished: The IDF dismissed two senior officers over the strikes: The brigade fire support commander and the brigade chief of staff.
Others were formally reprimanded: The brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander. It said the strikes seriously violated the IDF’s Standard Operating Procedures and sent its condolences to the families of the victims and the WCK organization.
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the decision to dismiss two military personnel over the deadly strike, saying it "is the abandonment of the soldiers in the middle of a war and a grave mistake that conveys weakness."
How the WCK has responded: The WCK slammed Israel for not following its own protocols.
It said firing the officers was an “important step,” but warned, “without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.”
“We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza,” it said.
This post has been updated with additional reactions to the IDF report.
9:33 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
Survivors of first WCK vehicle strike fled to the next convoy vehicle before being struck again, IDF says
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem
Palestinians stand next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on April 2, where employees from the World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Some of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers who survived the first Israeli strike on their vehicle then fled to other vehicles, before being struck again, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson told CNN.
The IDF on Friday published its report into the strikes that killed seven WCK aid workers in Gaza this week.
An IDF spokesperson shared more details with CNN, confirming some of the aid workers in the first vehicle to be struck survived and fled to the next vehicle in the convoy.
The IDF said it targeted three vehicles in total, "leading to the deaths of seven innocent humanitarian workers."
8:55 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
White House will "reserve judgment" on IDF report until it can go through findings, US official says
From CNN's Arlette Saenz and Samantha Waldenberg
White House national security communications adviser John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House, on April 4. Evan Vucci/AP
The White House will “reserve judgment” on Israel’s investigation into the strike that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza until it works through the report, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Friday.
“We’re going to work our way through that investigation ourselves and take a look and see what we think of their findings and their conclusions before we make any kind of judgment going forward,” Kirby told NBC. “We’ll reserve judgment until we have a chance to go through those findings.”
Israel dismissed two military officers as a just-released internal report finds "mistaken identification" and "errors in decision-making" led to the deadly attack on World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza on Monday.
President Joe Biden also “urged” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their Thursday phone call to attend hostage deal negotiations in Cairo this weekend. The US will participate in those “conversations” in Cairo, Kirby told ABC.
“Nothing’s changed about the president’s desire – an immediate ceasefire in exchange for getting those hostages out and for getting all that extra aid in. that’s what negotiators are meeting this weekend to talk about in Cairo,” Kirby said.
9:32 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
IDF unit that carried out strike on WCK convoy mistook bag for weapon
From CNN's Jeremy Diamond in Jerusalem
A view of the destroyed roof of a vehicle where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on April 2. Ahmed Zakot/Reuters
The Israeli forces involved in the strikes in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) staff earlier this week mistook a bag for a weapon, a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told CNN.
The IDF misidentified something slung over one of the passenger’s shoulders as a weapon. Israeli military officials now assess it was likely a bag, the spokesperson said.
In addition, the spokesperson added that surveillance drones could not see the WCK logo on the vehicles at night. The IDF is considering distributing thermal stickers for aid vehicles to prevent this in the future, he added.
The spokesperson confirmed that some of the aid workers in the first vehicle to be struck survived and fled to the next vehicle in the convoy after the first vehicle was struck.
7:35 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
CIA director and Israel intelligence chiefs to head to Egypt for hostage talks, sources say
From CNN’s Michael Callahan, Eugenia Ugrinovich, Mostafa Salem and Becky Anderson
CIA director William Burns attends a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., on March 11. Mark Schiefelbein/AP
CIA Director William Burns, Israel’s Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar will meet in Egypt this weekend to continue ceasefire talks, according to a source familiar with the talks and an Israeli government official source.
Barnea, Bar and Burns met last month in Doha for talks with mediators, but no clear breakthrough was reached. US officials said although progress was made, talks have been “complex and slow.”
Hamas and Israel have for months failed to agree over a three-phased framework seeking the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a six-week ceasefire, the release of Palestinian prisoners and an increase in humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Among the unresolved issues is the return of displaced Gazans to their homes in the north; Hamas wants a larger number of people to return to their homes in northern Gaza than what Israel has proposed.
Hamas also wants a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Israel’s top political and military officials called Hamas’ demands “delusional” and stated that the elimination of the group remains the permanent goal of the Gaza offensive.
“A deal is not close and gaps still remain,” a diplomatic source briefed on the talks told CNN on Friday.
8:54 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
Here's who the IDF dismissed and punished over the deadly World Central Kitchen aid strikes
From CNN's Christian Edwards
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dismissed two senior officers and reprimanded others over the deadly strikes on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy that killed seven aid workers in Gaza this week.
The IDF on Friday published a report into the attack, saying the strikes violated its own procedures and should not have happened.
Two senior officers were dismissed: The brigade fire support commander, an officer with the rank of major, and the brigade chief of staff, an officer with the rank of colonel.
"Additionally, the brigade commander and the 162nd Division commander will be formally reprimanded," the IDF said.
"The IDF Chief of Staff decided to formally reprimand the commander of the Southern Command for his overall responsibility for the incident."
8:53 a.m. ET, April 5, 2024
World Central Kitchen criticizes IDF for not following its own protocols
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London and Vasco Cotovio in Jerusalem
Members of the World Central Kitchen aid group transports the body of one of the staff members killed in an Israeli air strike out of the morgue of Abu Youssef Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on April 3. Mohammed Talatene/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
The World Central Kitchen (WCK) has criticized the Israeli military for not following its own procedures during strikes that killed seven of its aid workers in Gaza on Monday.
"The IDF’s own video fails to show any cause to fire on our personnel convoy, which carried no weapons and posed no threat," WCK said in a statement after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published its own report into how the strike happened.
The IDF said it believed it was targeting Hamas operatives when they attacked and killed the aid workers in the WCK convoy, according to an internal inquest that led to the dismissal of two senior officers.
WCK acknowledged that Israel had taken "important steps" in dismissing the officers, but said the investigation showed that "deadly force" was used by the IDF "without regard to its own protocols."
"Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families," WCK said.
It called for an independent commission to be set up to investigate the killings further, saying: "The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza."
