Israel has sacked two senior military officers after a report into the killings of seven aid workers in Gaza found there had been a “serious failure”.
An investigation carried out by a retired Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general into the Monday killings found that military officials mishandled critical information and violated the army’s rules of engagement.
"The incident should not have occurred," the IDF said in a statement following general Yoav Har-Even's seven-page findings.
"Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees.
“The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures."
Two officers - one a Colonel and the other a Major - will be dismissed from their positions, while a third officer will be reprimanded for his “overall responsibility for the incident”.
The killing of seven aid workers – including three British nationals - by the Israeli military sparked global outrage.
Joe Biden last night called for a ceasefire in Gaza and warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that US support in the war depends on Israel taking concrete steps to protect aid workers and civilians.
The pair spoke by phone yesterday, days after Israeli airstrikes killed seven aid workers in Gaza, adding a new layer of complication to their increasingly strained relationship.
The White House said in a statement: "He [Biden] made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.
"He made clear that US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel's immediate action on these steps."
The President also told Mr Netanyahu that an "immediate ceasefire is essential" and urged Israel to reach a deal without delay.
It comes as the head of aid organisation the World Central Kitchen, whose workers were killed, said they were deliberately targeted.
Israeli troops ordered a drone hit first on one car, then on a second and finally on the third as it fled on Monday evening.
The three British victims were John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, who were working as security for WCK.
WCK said in a statement on Friday that while Israel had taken "important steps forward" based onits findings, "it is also clear from their preliminary investigation that the IDF has deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement."
"Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families," the charity said.
"The root cause of the unjustified rocket fire on our convoy is the severe lack of food in Gaza. Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine traveling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid."
More than 32,000 people have been killed in Gaza, Hamas officials say, since Israel responded to its massacre of 1,200 in a cross-border raid. The UN says at least 196 aid workers have also died.
Pressure has grown on the government to suspend arms export licences to Israel.
