Israeli Colonel Nochi Mendel says he stands by his decision to carry out the April 2024 World Central Kitchen (WCK) massacre in Gaza, accusing the organization of having “ties to Hamas” during an interview with ABC published on 27 August.
“I’m the commander, and I’m the one who gave the order to carry out the operation,” Mendel said, adding “I’m not sorry for what I did.”
Mendel spoke to ABC in October 2025. Last week, the Israeli military confirmed it would bring no criminal proceedings and impose no further penalties on anyone involved in the April 2024 massacre of seven WCK aid workers.
The commander was dismissed from his post as the Nahal infantry brigade’s chief of staff, with the army citing a series of failures on the night of the attack, including a violation of its rules of engagement and standard operating procedure.
Mendel said he did not intend to kill any of the WCK staff, and blamed what he called “an intermingling between the WCK and Hamas operatives,” saying “their connection with Hamas was a deviation from the plan.”
The Israeli army dismissed the strike as a mistake, misidentifying security personnel present with the convoy as Hamas fighters.
WCK rejected the allegations as “false and outrageous,” telling ABC that they were “the latest attempt to shift blame away” from the Israeli military’s own actions.
A spokesperson said the man making the claims had no credibility, having taken part in the decisions behind the 1 April strikes before being removed from his post.
WCK demanded “a full, independent investigation into the attack” alongside truth and justice for the organization’s seven killed colleagues.
Australian national Zomi Frankcom, 43, was among those killed when three vehicles were hit one after another over four minutes. The Israeli army later told journalists it had mistaken a bag for a weapon.
An Australian inquiry found the strikes proceeded after commanders had reportedly barred further attacks near humanitarian convoys that night.
The UK, Canada, and Australia condemned the closure of the case as shameful, saying the families of those killed are owed justice and accountability.
Poland, which also lost a citizen in the strike, summoned Israel’s ambassador in Warsaw, as did Australia, which expressed outrage at the decision not to pursue a criminal probe.
Israeli army prosecutors had concluded that although the assessment that Hamas seized the convoy involved serious failures, the commanders’ decisions gave no reasonable grounds to suspect criminal conduct.
Israel’s refusal to hold its own forces to account comes as Haaretz reported the Israeli army and Shin Bet have turned ISIS-linked criminal gangs and mercenaries recruited inside Gaza into an operational arm to commit war crimes on their behalf throughout the strip while providing artillery and drone cover.
The armed gangs would open fire on Palestinians, loot and burn homes, and force families out of shelters, operating with Israeli army call signs, appearing on briefing maps, and running bases beside Israeli outposts.
