The airstrike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in the Gaza Strip on Monday killing seven team members has prompted a slew of questions about the Israeli military practices in the war.
While Israeli officials have acknowledged the bombings — Benjamin Netanyahu said the country’s forces had “unintentionally hit innocent people” — they have released few details about the incident.
“It happens in war, we check it to the end, we are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again,” he said.
In an effort to better understand what exactly happened, NBC News has geolocated the three damaged aid vehicles abandoned along a 1.55-mile stretch of coastal highway in Gaza, using images posted by international photo agencies and cross-referencing them with satellite imagery.
In a statement, WCK said that the convoy which was hit was made up of three vehicles, two of which were armored and one of which had a softback. They were traveling south along Al-Rashid Road near WCK’s headquarters in Deir al-Balah, a Palestinian city in the central Gaza Strip. The coastal road was earmarked as an accessible road for humanitarian aid by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in March.
The northernmost vehicle, which lies just south of the Port of Deir al-Balah, appears to have suffered fire damage. The hood, trunk and doors are open and there are visible burn marks on the ground. A photo shows fire damage inside the vehicle, with charred World Central Kitchen stickers strewn on the floor and across the seats.
The second vehicle, located roughly half a mile further south along Al-Rashid Road, bears a large entry hole next to large WCK branding plastered on the roof. A number one is stickered on the windshield, along with another sticker bearing the logo of the aid agency. Orange, high-visibility vests could be seen inside the vehicle. Metal from the roof is pushed inward, jutting down toward the back seats. Blood is matted into the white paintwork and dark upholstery.
In contrast to the first two vehicles, which were situated relatively close to each other, a third vehicle was photographed over a mile south of them. This vehicle, smaller than the first two, was the only one located off the road, on a patch of land near some homes and tents. Leaning into a ditch, it is missing its roof and windshield and appears to have suffered more damage than the first two. Panels are crumpled or missing, with what appear to be blood and dirt staining the metal frame of the vehicle and the interior seating. The hood is covered with small World Central Kitchen stickers.
The U.S.-based nonprofit group, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, was leaving a warehouse where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid that the charity had brought to Gaza by sea earlier in the day. The charity said last week that it has served 42 million meals over 175 days in Gaza.
“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing,” Andrés wrote on X. “It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon.”
Those killed included international aid workers — a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and team members from Britain, Australia and Poland — and a Palestinian driver. The charity did not release their identities.
The U.S. has called on Israel to conduct a swift investigation into the airstrike.
“Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in the statement.
