Israel told the United States that an initial review found that shots were fired at a World Food Programme (WFP) vehicle in the Gaza Strip after a "communication error" between IDF units, the deputy US envoy to the United Nations said on Thursday, as quoted by Reuters.
"We have urged them to immediately rectify the issues within their system," Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.
He added, "Israel must not only take ownership for its mistakes, but also take concrete actions to ensure the IDF does not fire on UN personnel again."
WFP announced on Wednesday that it has temporarily suspended movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip, claiming at least 10 bullets struck one of its clearly marked vehicles as it approached an IDF checkpoint.
WFP said in a statement that a convoy of two armored vehicles received "multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach" the Wadi Gaza bridge checkpoint on Tuesday evening. Bullets hit one of the vehicles, but no one in it was hurt, said WFP.
The IDF said in a statement that the incident was under review. "The State of Israel is committed to improve coordination and security with humanitarian organizations to ensure the effective delivery of aid within the Gaza Strip," the IDF stressed.
This past April, seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said after the strike that it was a case of misidentification and the strikes were not meant to harm WCK workers.
The IDF later dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the incident.
As a result of the fatal air strike, WCK temporarily halted its food distributions in Gaza, but resumed those distributions about a month later.
Australia, whose citizen was among the seven WCK workers killed in the strike, conducted its own probe of the strike, and recently blamed "serious failures to follow procedures" by IDF personnel for the April incident.