Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said that the U.S. is “very carefully” reviewing the findings of Israel’s investigation into drone strikes that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, while cautioning that Israel must take steps to prevent a similar situation in the future.
“We’re reviewing it very carefully. We will be discussing its conclusions with Israeli officials and with humanitarian organizations in the days to come,” Blinken told reporters Friday.
He went on to say it is “very important” that Israel is “taking full responsibility” and “appears to be taking steps” to hold people accountable.
“Even more important is making sure that steps are taken going forward to ensure that something like this can never happen again,” Blinken said.
Similarly, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters on a call later Friday that the U.S. is going to “take our time” going through the conclusions and consult with Israeli officials.
At the same time, he said, the U.S. needs to see “verifiable” and “sustainable” changes from Israel to ensure it does not repeat the “mistake.”
“What really matters here, for us, is two things: one, that something like this does not happen again and, two, that there are concrete, verifiable, achievable and, again, sustainable changes to their processes in the way they conduct these kinds of missions so that the safety of civilians on the ground and humanitarian aid workers is is top of mind,” Kirby said.
The Israeli military said Friday it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in drone strikes in Gaza that killed the seven aid workers on a food-delivery mission, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army's rules of engagement.
The findings of a retired general's investigation into the Monday killings are likely to renew skepticism over the Israeli military's decision-making. Palestinians, aid groups and human rights organizations have repeatedly accused Israeli forces of firing recklessly at civilians throughout the conflict — a charge Israel denies.
"It's a tragedy," the military's spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters. "It's a serious event that we are responsible for and it shouldn't have happened and we will make sure that it won't happen again."
The killings of the workers with World Central Kitchen — a humanitarian aid organization that frequently parachutes into areas facing crisis levels of food insecurity, including war zones like Gaza, regions recovering from national disasters and parts of the U.S. during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 – kicked off a wave of anger, including from the White House. Biden on Tuesday said he was "outraged and heartbroken" by the killings of the workers, calling their deaths "a tragedy."
"Even more tragically, this is not a standalone incident," Biden said. "This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed. This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult — because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians."
The release of the investigation’s findings follows a closely watched phone call between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday that appeared to mark a shift in tone from the U.S. president, who has faced pushback from some at home over his continued support of Israel amid the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
According to the White House, Biden on Thursday told Netanyahu that Israel must take concrete steps to reduce civilian harm and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, warning that U.S. policy going forward would depend on whether the Israelis follow through.
Following the call on Thursday, Kirby declined to elaborate on how U.S. policy on the war could change if Israel does not adhere to the request.
Asked while leaving the White House on Friday whether he threatened U.S. military aid on the call with Netanyahu, Biden said, “I asked them to do what they’re doing.”
Netanyahu's office announced early Friday that Israel would act to improve conditions, including reopening a key border crossing into northern Gaza.
The office said the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza, which was partially destroyed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, would temporarily reopen. It also said Israel would allow its Ashdod port, 22 miles north of Gaza, to be used to process aid shipments bound for the territory and allow increased Jordanian aid shipments through another land crossing. The announcement did not elaborate on quantities or types of items to be let in.
Earlier on Friday, Blinken said the measures the Israeli government has announced to expand the flow of aid into Gaza are welcome but may not be enough to meet the Biden administration's demands for dramatic improvements in humanitarian conditions in the territory.
Later, he told reporters that any future military actions by Israel “need to be designed” around the safety of civilians.
“As Israel pursues any military operations against Hamas, it has to prioritize the protection of civilians,” Blinken said. “It has to make that job number one.”
Spectrum News' David Mendez and The Associated Press contributed to this report