By Israel’s military clears soldiers of criminal wrongdoing in Gaza strike that killed Zomi Frankcom
Zomi Frankom was killed by an IDF strike two years ago. (Facebook)
In short:
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has cleared its personnel of any criminal wrongdoing in a 2024 strike on a humanitarian convoy which killed an Australian woman.
The IDF said there were serious failures that led soldiers to falsely identify a Hamas fighter was travelling in the convoy.
However, it was concluded the IDF commanders’ decisions “did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct”.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has cleared its personnel of any criminal wrongdoing in the April 2024 strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in Gaza, where Australian woman Zomi Frankcom was killed.
The IDF said it had concluded there were serious failures that led soldiers to falsely identify a Hamas fighter was travelling in the convoy, which prompted an attack that killed seven humanitarian workers.
But “the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct,” it said.
The convoy was travelling through “deconflicted zone” in two armoured cars branded with the WCK logo in an effort to deliver food and other supplies to northern Gaza.
WCK said it had co-ordinated its movements with the IDF.
Zomi Frankcom volunteered with World Central Kitchen during the Black Summer bushfires. (Supplied: Kelly Eastwood)
Founder José Andrés said in the days following the attack “this was not just a bad luck situation where ‘oops’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place”.
“This was over 1.5, 1.8 kilometres, with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colourful logo that we are obviously very proud of,” Mr Andrés said
“[It’s] very clear who we are and what we do.”
He described the IDF targeting each car, one-by-one, corralling the aid workers to the third car before it was ultimately struck.
Also killed in the strike were Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Damian Sobol from Poland, US-Canadian national Jacob Flickinger and John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby from the UK.
A 2024 Australian government review into the incident found the IDF strike was a result of “serious failures to follow procedures”.
It found there was a “significant break down in situational awareness”, however ultimately ruled the strike was “not knowingly or deliberately directed” against the WCK.
Seven people were killed in the strike. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)
On March 31, the family of Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom commemorated two years since her killing.
“There hasn’t been any kind of justice served or any movement with the case,” her brother Mal Frankcom told Radio National Breakfast at the time
“It’s going to be painful every year, but having that would provide some kind of comfort.“
Five investigations concluded
The IDF released details of five major investigations all at once on Wednesday afternoon, Israel time.
The military said it would launch a criminal investigation into the January 2024 killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab, whose case sparked worldwide outrage.
She was trapped in the wreckage of her family’s car for hours, along with the bodies of five family members, and had desperately called for help.
The IDF also said it had recommended a criminal investigation into an attack by the military on a convoy of Palestinian paramedics in Tel al-Sultan in March 2025, in which 15 people were killed.
The wreckage of the ambulances the group was travelling in, along with the remains of those killed, was buried by soldiers in a shallow mass grave.
Two investigations into the killing of Médecins Sans Frontières staff in February 2024 and November 2023 also cleared personnel of criminal wrongdoing.
Originally published on www.abc.net.au — View original