A recent investigation by The Guardian has revealed that seven aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza were marked as targets under a military practice known as "haflala," or incrimination. This practice allows field commanders to designate individuals or groups as "terrorists" based on their proximity to suspected militants, even if the connection is tenuous. The incident in question occurred in April 2024, when Israeli drones fired missiles at three World Central Kitchen (WCK) vehicles shortly after they had delivered food aid to Gaza. Among the seven killed were three British humanitarian workers, an Australian, a Palestinian, a Pole, and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen. The Israeli military’s official account of the event blamed the aid workers for hiring armed guards and for deviating from a pre-arranged route. However, interviews with senior Israeli officers involved in the incident suggest that the strike was influenced by the broader use of incrimination policies, which have been criticized for endangering civilians. According to these officers, the presence of armed men near the aid convoy—later determined not to be affiliated with Hamas—was enough to label the entire group as potential targets. The Israeli military’s internal data indicates that more than three-quarters of the over 70,000 Palestinian deaths in the Gaza war have been civilians. Reserve Colonel Nochi Mendel, who ordered the airstrikes, stated that the aid workers became targets after briefly interacting with armed men, whom he assumed were Hamas militants. He described the interaction as "mingling" with Hamas operatives, defined as being "near them, talking, playing, hanging out and so on." Mendel was the only officer of such high rank to be dismissed for his role in the Gaza war and has been described in military briefings as a "rogue operator." He has defended his actions, saying the mission was to stop Hamas from controlling aid deliveries, a policy he claimed was supported by his superiors. The WCK organization has condemned the Israeli military’s decision not to pursue criminal charges against those involved in the strike, calling it "inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive." The UK, Australia, and Canada have also criticized the decision, with the UK launching an inquest into the deaths of three British aid workers. The WCK has called for an independent investigation and the full release of evidence from the Israeli military. The events surrounding the airstrike highlight the complex and controversial nature of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, where the use of incrimination policies and the mission to disrupt Hamas’s influence have led to significant civilian casualties.