Our heart goes out to the founder of  World Central Kitchen, José Andrés, and the families of the seven of his employees who were killed in Gaza by Israel in an accidental “friendly fire” incident. Israel promptly took the blame for the error and has begun relieving or otherwise holding to account its officers. Yet Mr. Andrés wants an investigation into whether, among other points, the attack on the WCK team was deliberate.  

As soon as the IDF issued findings of its investigation into this week’s killing of the WCK volunteers, Mr. Andrés started demanding an outside investigation into whether the attack was “carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law.” According to today’s IDF investigation, led by a retired IDF general, Yoav Har-Even, the involved units, operating in the dark of night, believed they were targeting Hamas terrorists. 

The investigation nevertheless concludes that the drone shots violated the IDF’s rules of engagement. Some of the commanders involved in the operation have been relieved. Their superiors were reprimanded. The quick IDF action, under tremendous global pressure, sharply contrasts similar “friendly fire” incidents by American, British, and other allied militaries in recent wars, from Libya to Afghanistan. Yet, Israel is now in everybody’s crosshairs. 

President Biden, a friend of Mr. Andrés, called Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday to express his anger, demanding the immediate yet elusive ceasefire that today Hamas rejected for the umpteenth time. As Israel braces for attacks from Iran and its proxies, the president hinted at “changes” in America’s arms supplies to Israel. He also threatens an economic boycott of Israel, starting with products manufactured by Jews living in Judea and Samaria. 

Why is Israel, alone among nations, expected to fall on its sword following a friendly fire incident? Unlike the quick IDF probe, the Pentagon spent weeks denying a misfire in August 2021, until it admitted that 10 Afghani innocents were killed, including children and an aid worker. Mr. Biden, though president, never addressed the incident. Silence also greeted thousands of innocents that perished in NATO bombardments in Libya, Iraq, and Syria. 

Is that wrong? Tragic mistakes are often made in war. In a most horrific recent event, IDF soldiers erroneously killed three Israeli hostages after they managed to free themselves in Gaza. Today, shortly after the IDF issued its WCK findings, it released another report on a tragedy involving an Israeli victim of friendly fire: the army admitted that on October 7 a kidnapped woman was killed in an Israeli helicopter strike in Gaza. 

The helicopter pilot identified the Hamas kidnappers, but not the Israeli abductee, Efrat Katz, who was carried in the back of their truck. Katz was a childhood classmate of our Benny Avni. In 1973, he himself was attacked by Israel’s Air Force and critically wounded while serving at the Sinai as an IDF tank gunner. The pilots believed they were shooting at an Egyptian tank convoy. Only a conspiracy theorist could believe such incidents are deliberate. 

Believe it or not, humanitarian operations themselves can also kill. To much publicity, America and Jordan are air-dropping food and medicine in Gaza. Expecting manna, five boys were killed on March 8 as packages from airplanes fell on them. Twelve people drowned March 12, fetching packages that drifted to sea. The food in the drops was supplied by the WCK, whose Mr. Andrés is yet to allege a war crime or demand an independent probe.