Israeli military clears soldiers over Gaza strike that killed Zomi Frankcom

Zomi Frankom was killed by an IDF strike two years ago. (Facebook)

In short:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has cleared its personnel of any criminal wrongdoing in a 2024 strike on a humanitarian convoy which killed an Australian woman.

The IDF said there were serious failures that led soldiers to falsely identify a Hamas fighter was travelling in the convoy.

However, it was concluded the IDF commanders' decisions "did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct".

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has cleared its personnel of any criminal wrongdoing in the April 2024 strike on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in Gaza, where Australian woman Zomi Frankcom was killed.

The IDF said it had concluded there were serious failures that led soldiers to falsely identify a Hamas fighter was travelling in the convoy, which prompted an attack that killed seven humanitarian workers.

The armed man travelling with the vehicles was a security guard "to protect it from seizure by armed actors in Gaza," the IDF said in its statement.

But it said the presence of that guard had not been flagged with the IDF prior to the convoy setting off, and the vehicles later took a different route to what had been coordinated prior with the military.

"Accordingly, and in light of the assessment that Hamas operatives had taken control of the convoy before its arrival at the warehouse, the IDF mistakenly believed that the vehicles contained Hamas military operatives and therefore struck the vehicles," it said.

The military argued it had tried to contact WCK about the incident, but did not hear back.

"Notwithstanding serious failures in the process that led to the assessment that Hamas operatives were travelling in the vehicles, the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct."

Two commanders had already been stripped of their ranks as colonel and major, and a colonel, a major general and a brigadier general had also been reprimanded.

The ABC has contacted the Australian government for comment.

"There never really is an outcome that involves punishment or accountability to the families," Ms Frankcom's friend and former WCK colleague Josh Phelps told the ABC.

"I don't think it's good enough and I think, but I don't think it's any different from what they said [in 2024].

"So [there's] almost relief — like let's get this out of the way and then focus on how we can continue to raise up her legacy and the legacy of the people who she died with, and the legacy of all the people that continue to die there."

Wong pays tribute to Frankcom prior to inquiry release

Just before the IDF announcement, Foreign Minister Penny Wong was marking World Humanitarian Day at an event in Parliament House in Canberra, where she launched an award in Ms Frankcom's honour in the presence of her family.

"I want to say to you that we will stand with you, and we will stand with you in years to come," Ms Wong said.

"I want to make it clear that the Australian government continues to press the Israeli Government for full accountability for the deaths of Zomi and her World Central Kitchen colleagues."

Zomi Frankcom volunteered with World Central Kitchen during the Black Summer bushfires. (Supplied: Kelly Eastwood)

Founder José Andrés said in the days following the attack "this was not just a bad luck situation where 'oops' we dropped the bomb in the wrong place".

"This was over 1.5, 1.8 kilometres, with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colourful logo that we are obviously very proud of," Mr Andrés said

"[It]'s very clear who we are and what we do."

He described the IDF targeting each car, one-by-one, corralling the aid workers to the third car before it was ultimately struck.

Also killed in the strike were Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Damian Sobol from Poland, US-Canadian national Jacob Flickinger and John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby from the UK.

A 2024 Australian government review into the incident found the IDF strike was a result of "serious failures to follow procedures".

It found there was a "significant break down in situational awareness", however ultimately ruled the strike was "not knowingly or deliberately directed" against the WCK.

Seven people were killed in the strike. (AP: Abdel Kareem Hana)

On March 31, the family of Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom commemorated two years since her killing.

"There hasn't been any kind of justice served or any movement with the case," her brother Mal Frankcom told Radio National Breakfast at the time

WCK condemned the IDF findings and said it fundamentally disagreed with the decision not to pursue a criminal investigation.

"There has never been any excuse or justification for the attacks, and there is nothing in this account that does so, it said in a statement.

"The decision is inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive.”

The organisation insisted the IDF knew its team was unarmed and did not pose a threat, yet still launched multiple airstrikes.

"The military investigation conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story and shifts the blame for the IDF’s illegal conduct,” WCK said, accusing the IDF of being incapable of investigating its own conduct.

Hind Rajab case prompts criminal probe

The IDF released details of five major investigations all at once on Wednesday afternoon, Israel time, and acknowledged for the first time it had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Hind Rajab.

The military said it would launch a criminal investigation into the January 2024 killing — a case which sparked worldwide outrage.

Hind was trapped in the wreckage of her family's car for hours, along with the bodies of six family members, and had desperately called for help.

Paramedics who travelled to the scene were also attacked, killing two paramedics.

Jared Kushner and Benjamin Netanyahu have discussed putting a US general in charge of verifying Hamas's disarmaments, with Israel's military to remain place until that happens.

The bodies were recovered almost two weeks later.

The finding of the IDF investigation suggested the criminal probe would be limited in its scope.

"Following review of the findings and due to alleged failures in the coordination of the movement of the Palestine Red Crescent ambulance, it has been decided to initiate a criminal investigation of the incident by Military Police Criminal Investigation Division."

Buried paramedics investigation also released

The IDF also said it had recommended a criminal investigation into an attack by the military on a convoy of Palestinian paramedics in Tel al-Sultan in March 2025, in which 15 people were killed.

The wreckage of the ambulances the group was travelling in, along with the remains of those killed, was buried by soldiers in a shallow mass grave.

At the time of the attack, the IDF claimed that the vehicles had been travelling without their emergency lights flashing.

Video recovered from a phone of one of the killed paramedics proved otherwise, recording the moments the convoy arrived at the scene and the lengthy assault by Israeli forces which followed.

Israeli authorities continue to insist six Hamas fighters were among those killed in the attack.

"The firing conducted during the incident raises a reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct," the IDF said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society repeated its calls "for the formation of an independent international commission of inquiry to uncover the circumstances of this crime.”

It said there needed to be "full protection for medical teams” wherever they work around the world.

Two investigations into the killing of Médecins Sans Frontières staff in Khan Younis in February 2024 and Gaza City November 2023 also cleared personnel of criminal wrongdoing.

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