The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has completed its investigation into the deadly April 2024 attack on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid convoy in Gaza, in which seven humanitarian workers, including Australian aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, were killed. The IDF said serious operational and decision-making errors occurred, but found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct in the commanders’ decisions.
In April 2024, an Israeli military strike targeted a WCK convoy delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza, killing seven aid workers. Among those killed was Australian citizen Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom.
The incident prompted international reaction, with humanitarian organisations and several countries raising concerns about the safety of aid workers. WCK also raised serious questions about its operations in Gaza following the incident.
The IDF investigation found that soldiers made serious errors. According to the investigation, military personnel incorrectly identified a Hamas fighter as being present in the convoy. Military action was taken following that misidentification.
The Israeli military concluded that the attack was not deliberately directed at aid workers and that, based on the available facts, the commanders’ decisions could not be classified as criminal misconduct.
According to the IDF, failures occurred at several levels, including inadequate assessment of the circumstances, an error in identifying the target and failure to properly follow military procedures.
A key question in the investigation was whether soldiers or commanders had deliberately targeted humanitarian aid workers. The military said it found insufficient grounds to conclude that this had occurred.
Although criminal responsibility was not established, the IDF described the errors in the incident as serious.
The Australian government also conducted a review of the incident in 2024. The review said the IDF attack resulted from serious failures to follow procedures.
The report identified a significant deficiency in situational awareness. However, the Australian review concluded that there was no evidence that WCK staff had been deliberately targeted or targeted with knowledge of their identity.
Frankcom’s family has repeatedly called for accountability and justice following her death. In March 2026, on the second anniversary of her death, her brother Mal Frankcom said the family had not yet seen sufficient progress towards justice.
The family has said that a clear accountability process would help them deal with the loss.
The Israeli military released the findings of five major investigations on Wednesday. In some cases, military personnel were cleared of criminal responsibility, while in others, further criminal investigations were recommended.
The army said it had decided to open a criminal investigation into the January 2024 death of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab. At the time, Hind was trapped in the wreckage of her family’s car, while several members of her family had already been killed.
Hind called for help, and her case became the subject of international discussion. The IDF has now decided to open a criminal investigation into the incident.
The IDF also recommended a criminal investigation into the March 2025 attack on a convoy of Palestinian paramedics in the Tel al-Sultan area. Fifteen people were killed in the incident.
According to the report, the wreckage of the ambulances used in the attack and the remains of those killed were later buried by soldiers in a shallow mass grave.
The recommendation for a further criminal investigation distinguishes the case from the IDF’s other investigations, as additional examination of possible criminal aspects related to the military action was considered necessary.
The IDF also investigated two cases involving the deaths of Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, staff members in February 2024 and November 2023.
According to the military, no basis for criminal misconduct by soldiers was found in either case.
The five investigations released on Wednesday therefore produced different conclusions. Military personnel were cleared of criminal responsibility in some cases, while further criminal investigations were pursued in the cases involving Hind Rajab and the Palestinian paramedics.
The safety of humanitarian aid workers during the Gaza war has remained an international concern. Humanitarian organisations have said aid workers need to be able to operate safely in conflict zones.
The attack on the WCK convoy became a case in this context. After the incident, Israel acknowledged errors in its military procedures and administrative action was taken against officials deemed responsible.
The IDF investigation into Frankcom’s death concluded that serious errors occurred but that there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. In contrast, criminal investigations have been recommended in some other incidents.
