Deputy minister against IDF chief of staff: 'Dismiss him immediately'

MK Avi Maoz criticized IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi on Saturday. In a statement, Maoz claimed that "the chief of staff's recent decisions lead me to have absolute distrust in him," adding that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant should "dismiss [Halevi] immediately."

Adding to his criticism of Halevi, Maoz stated, "Tonight, the lie regarding the non-existence of terror tunnels extending from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory was also revealed by the IDF spokesperson. Unfortunately, we cannot win the war with this chief of staff.”

Maoz's criticism stems partly from the dismissal of Brig.-Gen. Nochi Mendel, commander of the Nahal Brigade. Levi ordered his dismissal following the incident in which seven workers from the aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed as a result of IDF attacks.

The WCK accident occurred during an operation to deliver humanitarian aid. The investigation into the incident revealed that IDF troops identified one armed individual near one of the aid trucks and later believed there was another armed individual.

After the aid convoys left the warehouse where the aid was unloaded, one of the commanders mistakenly thought the armed individuals were in the WCK vehicles and assumed they were Hamas terrorists.

Due to the mistaken identification by the forces, they attacked three WCK vehicles under the mistaken belief that they contained Hamas terrorists, resulting in the deaths of seven unarmed humanitarian aid workers.

MK Avi Maoz targets recent IDF decisions 

The attack on the three vehicles constituted a serious violation of orders and instructions regarding the matter.

The investigation's conclusions indicate that the incident could have been prevented. Yet, those who approved the attack were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas terrorists and not WCK organization members.

The attack on the aid vehicles was a grave mistake resulting from a serious failure, stemming from mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and a violation of rules of engagement.