Israel has issued an apology for an accidental airstrike that killed seven aid workers.
On Wednesday morning, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi shared that the airstrike killed a team of international workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) during their return from an aid delivery in Gaza.
“I want to be very clear, the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers,” Halevi said. “It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.”
“This incident was a grave mistake. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK,” he added.
As reported by CBN News,Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally spoke with the leaders of the countries from where the workers came from.
“This happens in war. We are checking this thoroughly,” Netanyahu said. “We are in touch with the governments and we will do everything for this not to happen again.”
Meanwhile, the White House denounced the recent incident and noted how dangerous it is for workers in Gaza.
“More than 200 aid workers have been killed in this conflict, making it one of the worst for aid workers in recent history,” National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby stated. “This incident is emblematic of a larger problem and evidence of why distribution of aid in Gaza has been so challenging.”
So far, the Israeli military is preparing to invade Rafah, Hamas’ last stronghold, which is also the temporary home for over a million Gazan refugees.
Although the Biden administration is against the invasion, former Vice President Mike Pence said it is necessary.
“Israel has no choice but to invade Rafah and hunt down and destroy Hamas once and for all,” Pence contended.
He added that Americans should support Israel’s war efforts rather than criticize the country.
“If the Palestinians laid down their weapons right now and released all hostages, we’d have peace. But if Israelis laid down their weapons, we’d have no Israel.”
Israel is also currently under threat from Iran after a top Iranian general and his aide were killed by a missile strike in Syria that is being blamed on the Jewish state.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned of retaliation in the case of further attacks on Israel.
“We operate everywhere, every day, in order to prevent our enemies from gaining strength and in order to make it clear to anyone who acts against us – all over the Middle East – that the price for action against Israel will be a heavy one,” Gallant said.
Image credit: ©Getty Images/Christopher Furlong / Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
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