The attack of the seven aid workers, including one Australian citizen, in Gaza by Israeli drone strikes was an unintentional move, according to an Israeli government spokesperson, who admitted that the incident was a “grave mistake.”
The comment came after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Israeli government needed to be held accountable for the death of Melbourne-born Zomi Frankcom, a worker with food charity World Central Kitchen.
Ms. Frankcom, along with six other aid workers from UK, Poland, Canada, and a Palestinian driver were delivering food in Gaza when an Israeli air strike hit their convoy on April 1, local time.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack was caused by “misidentification” and accepted the responsibility on behalf of his government for this tragedy. However, Mr. Albanese said he would continue to push Israel to “publish a full and transparent investigation” into the incident.
“Humanitarian workers are protected under international law,” the Australian prime minister told ABC radio on April 4.
‘There’s a War Going On’
In response, Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman said that the attack “isn’t something that the IDF (Israeli Defence Force) would do or the Israeli Air Force would do on purpose.”
Describing the incident as “painful,” Mr. Hyman said he didn’t know why the IDF had misidentified the convoy despite having the information about the aid workers’ movements.
“I’m telling you that war is hell, war is foggy. It was the middle of the night. There was limited visibility. This is just me speculating, which is something that I don’t want to do,” he told ABC radio.
He emphasised that Israel “didn’t want this war” but was forced to fight it because it was “a war for our very existence.”
“There’s a war going on. Wars are awful.”
Hamas’ military strategy has reportedly become increasingly sophisticated, with terrorists using tactics such as disguising in civilian clothes, using aid workers as cover, fighting above and below ground, and putting explosives in toddler clothing.
“What I can tell you, which is what you may be missing … is that Hamas fights from hospitals, Hamas uses ambulances to transport their terrorists, Hamas shoots from schools, from U.N. facilities, from mosques,” Mr. Hyman added.
“I can tell you that just at the beginning of the week, we finished a two week operation in the biggest hospital in Gaza that had been turned into a full military base.”
He also noted that the claims about famine in Gaza were “wildly exaggerated.”
The problem was not about delivering food into Gaza, but “having food distributed around Gaza to the people that need it before Hamas and their cronies steal it and take it to their underground lair,” Mr. Hyman said.
Writing on X, Israel’s top diplomat in Australia, Amir Maimon, said the military “does and will continue to do everything in its power to prevent harm to civilians.”
“Israel will thoroughly investigate this tragedy to guarantee the safety and security of aid workers in Gaza,” the Israeli ambassador said.
Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has reiterated her calls for an immediate ceasefire, warning that Israel could lose support if it doesn’t change its course.
However, the Australian Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) argued that there was “an Israeli ceasefire on the table but Hamas is rejecting it.”
He added that Israel was “very upset” with the U.N.’s ceasefire resolution as it failed to condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks.
“Now if Hamas is praising you publicly or praising a government for doing something, it might be an indication that you might have got this wrong,” he told Sky News Australia on March 29.
