Israel admits 'grave mistake' in Gaza aid worker killings, blames 'serious operational failures'

The Israeli military has said the strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, was "a grave mistake" stemming from "serious operational failures" and breaches of protocol.

After an internal inquiry, the Israeli military has dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders.

The inquiry found officers mistakenly believed they were targeting Hamas gunmen when drones hit the three vehicles of the World Central Kitchen aid group and killed the charity workers, and that standard procedures had not been followed.

After 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," WCK said in a statement.