An investigation by The Guardian has documented how seven international humanitarian workers killed in an Israeli airstrike in April 2024 were designated as military targets through a practice known as haflala, or incrimination by association. The victims—three British nationals, one Australian, one Palestinian, one Polish citizen, and one dual US-Canadian national—were working for World Central Kitchen when their three clearly marked vehicles were struck by drone-fired missiles.
According to the investigation, the reserve colonel who ordered the strikes, Nochi Mendel, determined that the aid workers became legitimate targets after a brief encounter lasting only minutes with armed guards. Mendel stated that the workers had “mixed together” with individuals assumed to be affiliated with Hamas, thereby making the entire convoy a target under military policy. He concluded the workers were not innocent because of this association. An Israeli military prosecutor announced last month that no criminal proceedings would be pursued for the incident.
The haflala policy grants Israeli field commanders broad discretion in designating individuals as terrorists, including those deemed “incriminated” by proximity or association with suspected militants. Senior Israeli officers involved in or familiar with the official investigation suggested this practice played a central role in the killings, with one officer stating that approximately 99 percent of officers would have dropped the first bomb given identical circumstances. However, another senior officer argued that Mendel overstepped in applying incrimination rules, stating that one armed individual cannot incriminate an entire group.
World Central Kitchen stated the decision not to pursue charges was inconsistent with the facts, noting that the team was unarmed and posed no threat, and that the IDF had full visual clarity on their clearly marked vehicles. The governments of Britain, Australia, and Canada denounced the prosecutor’s decision as shameful and pledged to continue seeking answers regarding the deaths. Britain opened an inquest in 2024 into the three British fatalities that was subsequently adjourned pending the outcome of Israeli proceedings.
Mendel, portrayed as a rogue operator by Israeli command, is the only officer of such rank dismissed for actions in the Gaza war. Questions have been raised about potential political motives, as Mendel is a settler reported to have signed a January 2024 letter calling for restrictions on aid to Gaza. The incident reflects broader concerns about how the IDF’s decentralized command structure and subjective application of engagement rules may endanger civilian aid workers and civilians throughout the ongoing conflict.
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