International pressure is growing on Israel to carry out a full and transparent investigation into the strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy, an attack that has raised fresh questions about the way the Israeli military has conducted its war in Gaza.
We still do not know details of the misidentification that, according to the Israeli army, led to the attack, that killed seven aid workers in a clearly marked convoy, or how the strike was approved to go ahead.
US President Joe Biden, who has come under criticism for his staunch support for Israel in this conflict amid a growing death toll in Gaza and a worsening humanitarian crisis, is expected to hold a phone call with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today.
Over the last few months, White House officials have, in public and in private, expressed anger and frustration with some of Israel’s actions, from what they see as inadequate protection of civilians to insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid.
Words have not managed to change
the Israeli strategy. Will this incident, which has led to widespread
condemnation, lead to a shift in US policy,
especially in relation to the vast exports of weapons to Israel? It is still
not clear, and any change would mark a significant change in the US position.
Leaders from Australia, Poland and the UK, the countries where the victims in the convoy hit came from, also issued strong condemnations after the attack. This is an indication that patience with Israel could be running out.