Britain, Canada and Australia sharply criticized Israel on Friday after the IDF decided not to open a criminal investigation into the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers killed in Gaza in 2024.
The victims were three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish citizen, a dual US-Canadian national and a Palestinian Arab. They were killed when an Israeli drone struck their convoy after the workers had supervised the delivery and unloading of humanitarian aid.
The IDF released the conclusions of its General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism on Wednesday. The inquiry determined that troops mistakenly believed Hamas operatives had taken control of the convoy.
According to the findings, soldiers observed what they believed was an armed individual on a truck traveling with the convoy. The presence and positioning of other vehicles were also interpreted, based on operational experience, as evidence that Hamas had seized control of the group of vehicles.
WCK had arranged for armed security personnel to accompany the convoy, but their presence had not been coordinated with the IDF.
After the convoy reached a warehouse and unloaded the aid, several people were mistakenly identified as armed. The vehicles then headed south along a route different from the one coordinated with the IDF. Based on the mistaken assessment that Hamas personnel were traveling in the vehicles, IDF forces carried out the strikes.
The investigation also determined that IDF personnel unsuccessfully tried to contact WCK representatives during the approximately 30 minutes in which the vehicles were under observation.
The Chief Military Prosecutor concluded that, despite serious failures that contributed to the mistaken identification, there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. Consequently, no criminal investigation or additional measures will be pursued beyond actions already taken.
In a joint statement on Friday, Britain, Canada and Australia condemned the decision.
"In the more than two years since, we have been pressing for Israel to swiftly and thoroughly consider the case and hold those responsible to account." the three nations said.
"The announcement by the IDF on 19 August 2026 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful," it said.
"Announcing this decision on World Humanitarian Day, while the world honoured the courage and sacrifice of humanitarians, was particularly egregious," the joint statement added.
The criticism follows comments by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who two days earlier said she was "outraged" by Israel's decision.
Wong said the outcome "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and announced that Israel's ambassador to Australia would be summoned over the matter.
Following the 2024 incident, then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the strike resulted from a case of misidentification and was not intended to harm WCK personnel.
The IDF subsequently dismissed two officers and issued formal reprimands to senior commanders following its initial inquiry.
WCK temporarily suspended its food distribution operations in Gaza after the strike, but resumed them approximately one month later.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)