OTTAWA — Israel has determined that its military did not commit any criminal acts when it killed a Canadian and six other aid workers in Gaza two years ago. This decision has caused significant outrage in Australia, where Foreign Minister Penny Wong has summoned the Israeli ambassador for discussions. As of now, Canada has not publicly responded to the report released on Wednesday.
According to Israel’s military prosecutor, there will be no criminal investigation into the airstrikes from April 2024, which targeted a convoy of vehicles belonging to World Central Kitchen. These strikes resulted in the deaths of Jacob Flickinger, a military veteran from Quebec, along with a Palestinian and several aid workers from the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States.
World Central Kitchen, an organization dedicated to providing food assistance in Gaza, had claimed that it coordinated with military officials regarding the movement of the convoy. The vehicles, which prominently displayed the organization's logo, were left devastated after the airstrikes.
In a military statement released on Wednesday, officials indicated that the individuals inside the vehicles were mistakenly identified as armed Hamas operatives. However, the conclusion was reached that the decisions made by military commanders did not constitute reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. Meanwhile, two officers were removed from their positions, and three others faced reprimands as a result of the incident.
World Central Kitchen issued a statement asserting that the military's account of the strike was inaccurate. They stated that it “conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story, and shifts the blame,” and called for an independent investigation into the matter.
The Canadian Press has sought comments from Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand, but there has yet to be a public statement regarding the situation. In contrast, Australia’s Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, expressed that the removals and reprimands of officers were insufficient accountability for the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom. Wong criticized the Israeli Defense Forces for acknowledging that the strikes resulted from significant failures in following protocols, mistaken identification, and errors in decision-making.
Wong described the announcement of the military’s decision as “especially insulting,” emphasizing that it was made on World Humanitarian Day. She indicated plans to summon the Israeli Ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, and directed Australia’s Ambassador to Israel to convey Australia’s stance directly.
Furthermore, the Israeli military announced on the same day that it would not pursue criminal actions related to the deaths of four Doctors Without Borders staff in two separate incidents in November 2023 and February 2024.
Following the deaths of World Central Kitchen workers in 2024, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an independent investigation that transcended the Israeli military's internal review. He stated, “We need a fully open, transparent, independent and rapid investigation into what happened,” during an event in Winnipeg.
Trudeau vehemently objected to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s commentary suggesting that collateral deaths are an unavoidable aspect of war. He remarked that such incidents should not occur when aid workers, like those from World Central Kitchen, are risking their lives in a perilous environment to deliver food to those suffering a humanitarian crisis.
In light of the military's findings, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East expressed concern that Prime Minister Mark Carney's silence could enable Israel to evade accountability for the murder of a Canadian aid worker without consequence.
This report brings to light the complexities surrounding military actions during conflicts, the responsibilities of nations in protecting humanitarian workers, and the wider implications of accountability in international law.
