International
Israel fires two officers after finding grave errors in strike on aid workers
Israel fires two officers after finding grave errors in strike on aid workers
The Israeli military dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the killing of seven aid workers in an air strike in Gaza this week found serious errors and breaches of procedure, the military said.
The inquiry found Israeli forces mistakenly believed they were attacking Hamas gunmen when drone strikes hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group late on Monday night, and that standard procedures had not been followed.
“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,” the military said in a statement issued on Friday.
The killing of the seven aid workers, who included citizens of Britain, Australia and Poland, a dual U.S. Canadian national and a Palestinian colleague, triggered global outrage this week.
In a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden threatened a shift in U.S. policy towards Israel unless it reduced harm to civilians in Gaza, which already depended on aid before the war and has seen hunger spread since fighting began six months ago.
Following the publication of the findings, World Central Kitchen demanded an independent commission to investigate the incident. “Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families,” according to a statement published by WCK.
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The army had already acknowledged that the seven WCK employees had been killed in an airstrike but the unusually swift investigation underlined the impact the incident has had on world public opinion.
Jose Andres, the chef who founded World Central Kitchen, said this week the seven workers had been targeted “systematically, car by car” as they moved to seek shelter when their vehicles were hit in succession.
The military said it had dismissed a brigade chief of staff with the rank of colonel and a brigade fire support officer with the rank of major, and formally reprimanded senior officers including the general at the head of the Southern Command.
The case was also handed over to the military advocate general to consider a possible criminal investigation, the military said.
BAG MISTAKEN FOR A RIFLE
The convoy hit was the second of four planned missions to deliver some 200 tons of food brought to Gaza by sea last month under the management of WCK as part of efforts to increase the amount of aid getting into the enclave.
The military said that as the aid convoy the light vehicles were accompanying was travelling down the coastal road in Gaza towards a logistics point late on Monday, armed suspects had climbed on to at least one of the trucks.
The army showed reporters drone footage of a man on top of a lorry firing a rifle, which a spokesperson said had prompted the military to try, unsuccessfully, to contact WCK coordinators.
After the convoy reached a hangar and the trucks were unloaded, the three WCK vehicles had left the location and turned south down the coast road shortly after 11 p.m. (2100 GMT). However, commanders could not see their identifying logos in the dark and did not identify them as belonging to WCK.
Yoav Har-Even, the former major general who led the inquiry, said forces had acted on the mistaken belief that the vehicles had been seized by Hamas fighters.
As the cars left the hangar, one of the men getting into the vehicles had been carrying a bag which the operators watching drone footage took to be a rifle.
“The state of mind at that time was that the humanitarian mission had ended and that they were tracking Hamas vehicles with one suspected gunman, at least one suspected gunman, that they misidentified to be inside one of the three cars,” he told reporters in a briefing.
“They struck that car and then they identified people running out of the car and entering a second car, which is when they decided to strike the second car. Then two people left the second car and entered the third car, which is when they struck the third car.”
Those strikes were in breach of IDF standard operating procedures, he said.
The army pledged to address the fact that it had been unable to see the rooftop logos in the dark as part of a wider package of lessons to draw from the disaster.
Israel fires two officers after finding grave errors in strike on aid workers
Reuters
International
Trump Tells Supporters to ‘Cheat Like Hell’ Ahead of US Election
Trump Tells Supporters to ‘Cheat Like Hell’ Ahead of US Election
US President Donald Trump has made an unusual appeal to his supporters ahead of the November 3 election, telling them to turn out with their families and friends while declaring that he would “cheat like hell.”
Trump made the comments during a Republican gathering in Dallas, Texas, where he led attendees through a mock pledge intended to encourage them to support him and participate in the election.
After asking the crowd to raise their right hands and repeat after him, Trump urged his supporters to help bring their relatives and friends to the polls.
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He then made the controversial remark while discussing voter registration, saying he was unconcerned about whether he was registered and accusing his political opponents of being bigger “cheaters.”
Trump went on to encourage supporters to vote either on November 3 or before election day, ending the pledge with an appeal to God.
The president also joked that supporters who failed to vote could face divine punishment, telling the crowd they would “go to hell” if they did not turn out.
The remarks came as Trump sought to energise Republican voters ahead of the election, in which control of Congress is also at stake.
His comments are likely to attract attention because of the language he used during an event aimed at mobilising voters, particularly his reference to cheating and his claims about the conduct of his opponents.
Trump Tells Supporters to ‘Cheat Like Hell’ Ahead of US Election
International
France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition
France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition
At least 44 people were injured after a passenger train carrying 186 people derailed in northwestern France on Friday evening, with an 18-year-old woman among those injured and reported to be in critical condition.
The Rouen-Caen regional train derailed at about 7:45 p.m. local time near Cléon, in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy, while travelling between the cities of Rouen and Caen.
The incident triggered a major emergency response, with authorities deploying about 130 firefighters, five medical teams and 80 emergency vehicles to the scene.
A mass-casualty emergency plan was activated to coordinate the rescue operation and treatment of those injured.
According to Rouen prosecutor Sébastien Gallois, 44 passengers were injured in the France train derailment, including the 18-year-old woman who was airlifted to Rouen University Hospital in critical condition.
The other 43 injured passengers were treated for less serious injuries.
The initial estimate of the number of injured passengers was lower, but the figure was revised to 44 after emergency teams completed their assessment of passengers at the scene.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the train was travelling between Rouen and Caen when the accident occurred.
A passenger identified as 24-year-old Louis described the moments before the train accident in France as frightening.
He said the train first experienced several jolts before the movement became increasingly violent.
“Suddenly there were a few jolts, and then after about three seconds it got stronger and stronger,” he told ICI Normandie radio.
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“I couldn’t stay in my seat any more. The windows partially shattered; the stones from the track came into the carriage. It was really shocking. I’m still shaking,” he said.
A police source said the train may have struck an unidentified object shortly before it derailed. However, authorities have not established whether the object was responsible for the accident.
The cause of the Cléon train derailment therefore remains under investigation.
The Rouen prosecutor said drug and alcohol tests conducted on the train driver were negative.
Police and railway investigators have begun examining the train, the railway infrastructure and the circumstances surrounding the derailment to determine what caused the accident.
The railway operator, SNCF Réseau, suspended traffic on the affected line and switched off electricity to the tracks to allow emergency workers to operate safely.
“The priority is to care for the passengers and then to restore safe operating conditions,” SNCF Réseau said.
The disruption affected rail services along the Rouen-Caen route, while other services connecting Caen with Le Havre were also affected.
Rail authorities worked to arrange alternative transport for passengers whose journeys were disrupted while emergency and investigative operations continued at the accident scene.
Passengers who were not seriously injured were moved away from the crash site as emergency teams attended to those requiring medical attention.
The prefecture urged members of the public to stay away from the affected area to allow rescue workers and investigators to carry out their duties.
The accident caused significant disruption to rail services across the region, with authorities prioritising the safety of passengers and the restoration of the affected railway line.
The investigation is expected to establish whether the train’s contact with the unidentified object, a problem with the railway infrastructure or another factor contributed to the derailment.
As of the latest reports, there were no fatalities recorded in the accident, while the 18-year-old woman remained in critical condition and the other injured passengers were receiving medical attention.
Authorities said investigations into the France train accident were continuing.
France Train Derailment Injures 44, 18-Year-Old Woman in Critical Condition
International
Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland
Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland
A holiday trip in Switzerland has ended in tragedy after a coach carrying 45 Dutch adults overturned in the eastern part of the country, killing five people and injuring the remaining passengers.
The crash occurred on Thursday afternoon on the road linking Susch and Zernez in the Graubünden region. Police said the vehicle went off the roadway while passing through an area where construction work was taking place before overturning.
Three of those injured are in serious condition, while another 37 people sustained less severe injuries. The driver, who is also Dutch, survived the crash but was among those taken for medical treatment.
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Authorities have begun investigating the incident and are working to establish what caused the coach to leave the road.
Tour operator Oad said the company was devastated by the deaths and described the incident as a deeply shocking tragedy.
The crash took place close to Zernez, a popular gateway to Switzerland’s National Park, a large Alpine nature reserve in the Engadine valley.
Five Dead After Coach Carrying Dutch Tourists Overturns in Switzerland
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