Guardian links WCK killings to Israeli association policy

The killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza during April 2024 was linked to an Israeli military targeting practice. This practice allows civilians to be designated as potential targets through their association with suspected militants according to a new Guardian investigation released recently.

The inquiry found that the April 1 drone strikes on three clearly marked vehicles were influenced by a military practice known as incrimination. Under this rule commanders have broad discretion to classify people as targets including through their association with individuals believed to be active militants in the area.

The seven aid workers came under suspicion after a brief encounter with armed local guards whom Israeli officers incorrectly assumed were Hamas members. The convoy had coordinated its humanitarian mission with Israeli forces in advance and was not posing any imminent threat to Israeli troops when attacked.

The workers had just completed a major aid delivery involving roughly 200 tonnes of food transported from Cyprus to a warehouse. This supply was enough for more than one million meals yet coordination failures meant the Israeli drone unit overseeing the area was not fully informed about the mission.

Reserve Colonel Nochi Mendel who ordered the strikes told reporters that the workers became potential targets because they had mixed together with people he believed were Hamas members. He described such interaction as including being near speaking to or spending time with suspected militants in the field.

World Central Kitchen has rejected the Israeli military prosecutor’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings over the attack. The organization stated its team was unarmed clearly identified and operating with the Israeli military’s knowledge while findings challenge attempts to portray the killings solely as a tragic mistake.