‘Guilt by association’: why seven international aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike

Seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in Gaza were treated as targets under an Israeli military practice of establishing guilt by association, a Guardian investigation has found.

The workers died in April 2024 when drones fired missiles at three clearly marked WCK vehicles. The convoy had just escorted a food aid delivery in Gaza. Three British humanitarian workers, along with an Australian, a Palestinian, a Pole and a dual US-Canadian national, were killed.

The investigation describes the tactic as widely used within the Israeli military. Its central finding is that the aid workers were marked for targeting through their association with others, rather than because the source identifies them as individually established combatants.

The incident has also drawn scrutiny over the decision not to bring criminal proceedings. Israel’s top military prosecutor announced last month that he would not pursue a criminal case over the deaths.