Analysis Reveals Precision Strikes in Israeli Attack on Aid Workers
Following a deadly Israeli attack in Gaza, recent analysis indicates that the tragic incident involving the loss of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen may have involved multiple precision strikes. Examination of aftermath videos and images by CNN provides insights into the nature of the attack.
A CNN analysis of aftermath videos and images revealed that the deadly Israeli attack in Gaza on Monday, which claimed the lives of seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), involved multiple precision strikes.
WCK disclosed in a statement on Tuesday that their team was traveling in a "deconflicted zone" in two armored cars and one unarmored vehicle. They had just delivered over 100 tons of food supplies to a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza when the attack took place. The charity mentioned that they had coordinated the convoy's movements with the Israeli military.
CNN identified the three destroyed vehicles through geolocation, with one vehicle clearly marked with a WCK logo on its roof. The vehicles were found at two locations along Al Rashid coastal road and a third location in an off-road area nearby. The distance of around 2.4 kilometers between the first and third positions suggests that each vehicle was struck separately.
The first vehicle, which showed the least damage, was located on Al Rashid street just outside Deir al Balah. The second vehicle, visibly damaged by fire with a hole in its WCK-marked roof, was found approximately 800 meters away on the same road. Al Rashid street is recognized by Israeli authorities as a designated route for humanitarian aid, as stated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
CNN identified the third car as the "soft skin" or unarmored vehicle mentioned in WCK's statement. This car, which appeared to be the most damaged, was found in an open field 1.6 km away from the second car. The three cars were located approximately 12 km from the pier where WCK conducts its aid deliveries to Gaza by boat.
Among the seven WCK team members who tragically lost their lives in Monday's attack, six were foreign nationals. This incident has led to an increasing wave of global condemnation, including from the United States.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a rare admission of fault by stating that Israel was responsible for the attack in which innocent people in the Gaza Strip were unintentionally harmed. The Chief of Staff of the Israeli military, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, also apologized for the strike, calling it a mistake due to a misidentification.
I want to make it clear that the strike was not meant to harm WCK aid workers. It was a mistake due to misidentification in the challenging conditions of night during a war. It was not intentional, and it shouldn't have happened," stated Halevi.
According to explosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith, the strikes seem to have been conducted by an Israeli drone.
Cobb-Smith, a former British Army artillery officer and munitions expert, expressed that the severe damage to the three vehicles indicated the use of "highly accurate drone fired missiles." He also mentioned that it was difficult to believe that the tragic incident was accidental.
According to Cobb-Smith, the drone responsible for firing the fatal missiles would have been coordinated with a surveillance drone. This would have given the Israeli military complete visibility of the cars, including the WCK logo. He noted that the extent of damage, described as "limited blast" and "considerable localized destruction" in photos and videos, aligns with characteristics of an Israeli UAV strike.
Cobb-Smith told CNN missile fragments would be needed to definitively identify the exact munition used in the strike.
Explosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith told CNN the strikes appeared to have been carried out by an Israeli drone.
Explosive weapons expert Chris Cobb-Smith told CNN the strikes appeared to have been carried out by an Israeli drone.
Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
Patrick Senft, a research coordinator at Armament Research Services (ARES), shared with CNN that based on the damage to the vehicles, it is likely that precision guided munitions with a small explosive payload were used in the strike. He also noted that the aftermath of the strike aligns with munitions typically deployed by UAVs.
CNN has contacted the IDF to inquire about the possibility of the strike being carried out by an Israeli UAV.
Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, reported that an Israeli drone fired three missiles at the WCK aid convoy as it was leaving the non-profit's distribution center. According to defense sources familiar with the incident, the missiles were launched from a Hermes 450 drone due to suspicion that a terrorist was traveling on a food truck within the convoy. Despite the armed man not leaving the warehouse, the war room of the security unit ordered the drone operators to attack one of the convoy's cars with a missile.
CNN is seeking to confirm the details of Haaretz’s reporting.
Editor's P/S:
The deadly Israeli attack on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza, which claimed the lives of seven aid workers, has sparked outrage and condemnation worldwide. The Israeli government's admission of fault and apology for the strike, which it attributed to a misidentification, has failed to quell the anger and
