The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) killed seven aid workers, including three British citizens, because rogue field commanders “had their way in Gaza” and not because of a claimed lack of coordination between the army and aid groups, according to a report say.

On Monday, a staff member of the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) was attacked and killed while traveling in Gaza’s non-conflict zone. Their convoy, bearing the group’s logo, was attacked as it left a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, in the heart of the avenue.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Defense Ministry responded by blaming the killings on poor coordination between troops on the ground and aid group officials. WCK said it had coordinated aid worker movements in advance with the Israel Defense Forces.

However, Israeli newspapers quoted military sources as saying the deaths of aid workers stemmed from poor discipline by field commanders. haaretz.

They added that the officers and soldiers involved violated IDF regulations and orders.

The source accused the IDF Southern Command of trying to deflect responsibility for the incident. An intelligence source said the command “knew exactly the reason for the attack – in Gaza everyone does whatever they want”.

Army regulations state that final approval for any operation against sensitive targets such as aid organizations must be given by a senior officer — a division commander, head of command or even the chief of staff. But in Gaza, sources said, “each commander makes his own rules” and gives his own interpretation of the rules of engagement.

Israel’s chief of military staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced the preliminary findings earlier Wednesday, saying it was “an error following a misidentification that occurred at night and under very complex conditions during a war.”

But an intelligence source told an Israeli newspaper haaretz Southern Command “knew exactly why the attack was happening — in Gaza, everyone does whatever they want.”

Under the rules of engagement of the war, each commander must obtain final approval for action against sensitive targets such as aid groups, and these approvals must be approved by senior officers, whether division commanders, chiefs of staff or chiefs of staff. However, in Gaza, “each commander makes his own rules,” the source said.

It was unclear whether the decision to fire on the aid convoy was submitted to senior commanders for approval.

sources told haaretz Inexplicably, the incident was blamed on poor coordination. “It’s not about coordination,” they added. “You can set up 20 more administrative departments or war rooms, but if someone doesn’t decide to stop the behavior of some forces in Gaza, we will see more incidents like this.”

An initial military investigation found that the army had identified vehicles carrying aid workers arriving at its warehouse in Deir al-Balah and observed suspected militants nearby, Israeli television said. Half an hour later, the vehicle was attacked by the air force while traveling south.

WCK said the employee who died on Monday night had just unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid shipped to Gaza by sea.

WCK named the seven victims as Britons John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47. All work for the charity’s security team. The leader of the group, Australian citizen Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43, also died, along with Jacob Flickinger, 33, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, and Damian, a 35-year-old Polish citizen. Damian Sobol and 25-year-old Palestinian Saif Issam Abu Taha.

Israel said a “thorough investigation” by an independent agency would be completed in the coming days.

The killings were widely condemned around the world and prompted several charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians on the verge of starvation.