The Israeli army officer who ordered the drone strikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza has said he is ‘not sorry’ for his decision, with the Israeli military now declining to open a criminal investigation.
Colonel Nochi Mendel, who commanded the operation on 1 April 2024, told Australia’s ABC that he stood by his decision to strike the World Central Kitchen convoy. The attack killed seven aid workers from Palestine, the UK, Australia, Canada and Poland, including Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom. While Mendel said he had not intended to kill the humanitarian workers, he insisted that he was ‘not sorry’ for ordering the operation.
In the ABC interview, Mendel also appeared to blame World Central Kitchen for the attack, claiming there had been an ‘intermingling’ between the organisation and Hamas operatives. He alleged that WCK was not a genuinely neutral organisation and had links to Hamas.
Following the attack, Mendel was removed from his position as chief of staff of the Israeli military’s Nahal infantry brigade. An internal Israeli military review concluded that the strike had involved a series of serious failures, including breaches of rules of engagement and standard operating procedures.
Despite these findings, the Israeli military announced earlier this month that it would not open a criminal investigation into the deaths. The decision was strongly condemned by the UK, Canada and Australia, which described it as ‘shameful’ and said the victims and their families deserved justice and accountability.
World Central Kitchen rejected the claims issued by Mendel as ‘false and outrageous’, accusing him of attempting to shift responsibility away from the Israeli military.
