Israel has been tasked with one of the most challenging cases of urban warfare in modern human history. It is dealing with an enemy that has perfected embedding itself in civilian populated areas, making it so that no matter how careful Israel is, civilian deaths continue to rise.
The deaths of the seven aid workers at World Central Kitchen (WCK), the disaster relief nonprofit established by renowned chef José Andrés, are tragic and upsetting.
While Israel rightfully took responsibility for the error, apologized, launched an investigation, and took action against those who misidentified the workers, none of that brings comfort to the families who lost loved ones.
Especially after the October 7 attacks, Israelis know all too well what it is like to lose innocent and pure people who spent their lives trying to make the world a better place. So many of our own who were murdered in the kibbutzim by Hamas terrorists were well-known peace activists and were involved in nonprofits and initiatives to help Palestinians.
At around midnight last Tuesday, the WCK workers were leaving a warehouse in Gaza in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo. The NGO stated that it had coordinated its movements with the IDF. Israel, believing that Hamas operatives were using the vehicles, hit the cars through airstrikes as they were leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse.
According to the IDF, the drone unit saw multiple suspicious actions hours prior, where they saw Hamas terrorists climb onto one of the trucks and fire several times into the air. Hamas operatives often use this tactic to send signals to other Hamas fighters in the area to signal their position.
Initially, the IDF drone unit refrained from attacking the aid trucks; they tried to call aid workers and were unable to reach them. They then called the WCK headquarters, which tried to call their own aid workers, but none answered.
After the vehicles left the warehouse an hour later, the IDF drone unit misidentified the WCK vehicles and believed that four Hamas operatives had joined or taken over the convoy. The seven aid workers killed were from Australia, Poland, the UK, and Palestine. One was a dual citizen of the US and Canada.
This is not easy for Israelis
This is not easy for us Israelis. We understand the consequences of a mistake like this, and we should not have been in a position like this in the first place. Hamas is notorious for using humanitarian convoys disguised as civilians to blend into crowds, move around unnoticed, and then launch surprise attacks.
This grave mistake, however, is one that pro-Hamas activists have been waiting for. Chef Andrés published a piece in The New York Times stating that the aid workers’ deaths were the “direct result” of Israeli policy in its war with Hamas. He claimed that Israel intentionally targeted these aid workers.
As tragic as all of this is, many of the comments made that claim that Israel intentionally targeted these aid workers have been unfair and resemble modern-day blood libel.
Israel took full responsibility for the attack and admitted to its error relatively quickly, which is what a country with a professional military would be expected to. As upset as chef Andrés rightfully is, he is making grave accusations without looking at the intelligence that Israelis had (even if it was misguided).
What would Israel have to gain by “deliberately” carrying out those airstrikes? Why would Israel purposely put itself in the compromising position it is in now?
The United States has made similar mistakes in Iraq and Afghanistan. One example is the Kunduz hospital airstrike in October 2015, when a United States AC-130U gunship conducted an airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.
The strike resulted in the deaths of 42 people, including medical staff and patients. The incident was attributed to human error and was deeply regretted by the US government.
The United States and other Western nations are allowed to make these mistakes, but Israel is not?
There is a fog of war in the Middle East that doesn’t lift after the fighting begins. Urban warfare environments are extremely difficult and crowded, and separating the enemy from a friend in humanitarian corridors is incredibly challenging.
This does not mean that Israel shouldn’t do a better job. It has taken measures following the tragic incident, including the dismissal of the brigade fire support commander and the dismissal of the brigade chief of staff from their positions.
The IDF also reprimanded additional commanders and published the report of the incident. The army even presented their findings to the WCK organization and briefings with international ambassadors and journalists.
Why would an army that is supposedly intentionally targeting aid workers go through the trouble of publishing a report and handing it over to the people who can smear them the most?
It feels like even if Israel conducted itself perfectly, it would still not be enough. The pro-Hamas sentiment around the world is so strong, and there is a large number of people who want Hamas to stay in power, even if it means a devastating setback for peace in the Middle East and the continuing oppression of the Palestinian people.
There is a conversation happening in Washington now about halting weapon transfers to Israel in response to the WCK strike and discussing what unconditional support for Israel will look like in the future.
This is not the answer.
Abandoning Israel now is not the answer. It may not be apparent to many, but this is not just our war. Hamas is an organization that answers to Iran and solely exists to wage war against Israel.
It started with us, but it shouldn’t come to the American doorstep for the world to understand that it must be defeated.
The writer is a social media activist with more than 10 years of experience working for Israeli and Jewish causes and cause-based NGOs. She is the co-founder and COO of Social Lite Creative, a digital marketing firm specializing in geopolitics.