Israeli military fires deputy commander as it releases findings of investigation into deadly attack on aid workers

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The Israeli military has said its investigation into the killing of aid workers in Gaza has found there were “several professional failures, breaches of orders, and a failure to fully report the incident”.

A commanding officer will be reprimanded and a deputy commander will be dismissed following the military investigation, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

Fifteen aid workers were shot dead by Israeli troops who opened fire on a convoy of ambulances and other vehicles on 23 March.

They were then buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The probe’s findings come after a Sky News investigation earlier this week revealed how the deadly attack unfolded, contradicting Israel’s official account of the killings.

At first, Israel claimed the medics’ vehicles did not have emergency signals on when troops fired their shots, but later backtracked.

In a statement, an IDF spokesman said: “The Commanding Officer of the 14th Brigade will receive a reprimand, which will be recorded in his personal file, for his overall responsibility for the incident, including the procedure of combat and management of the scene afterward.

“The deputy commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion will be dismissed from his position due to his responsibilities as the field commander in this incident and for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief.”

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