The seven aid workers had arrived in northern Gaza earlier on Monday to help deliver more than 100 tons of food aid, according to World Central Kitchen. Their trucks left around 9 p.m. and headed south for the group’s warehouse, according to the Israeli military.
Along the coastal road, the trucks met with cars who joined their convoy, according to the military. Shortly after, a gunman appeared to fire a single round from the roof of one of the trucks, according to Maj. Gen. Yoav Har-Even, a reserve officer who oversees the military’s investigations into potential cases of wartime misconduct.
After the convoy arrived at the warehouse, Israeli drone footage captured what officials said were more gunmen at the scene. The Israeli military screened videos for reporters at the briefing on Thursday. The New York Times could not independently verify the military’s video.
The officers were convinced that the scene they had witnessed resembled what they said were previous attempts by Hamas militants to seize humanitarian aid in Gaza, the officials said. Hamas did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the accusation.
The cars then left the warehouse — three cars went south and one went north, the military officials said.
Within four minutes, at least one Israeli drone struck each of the three vehicles in the southbound convoy as they traveled south one behind the other, killing all seven passengers, the Israeli officials said.
Some aid workers in the vehicle that was first struck fled to the next vehicle for protection, the officials said. That vehicle was hit, too.
The soldiers’ decision to fire on the second and third car, assuming wrongly that they were also harboring militants, failed to meet the Israeli military’s open-fire protocols, the officials said.
“This was against the rules of engagement,” General Har-Even said.