Australia to appoint ‘special adviser’ on probe into Israel airstrike

Australia’s government said on Saturday it would appoint a special adviser to work with Israel to ensure “full confidence” in investigations into an airstrike in Gaza that killed seven aid workers including an Australian.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a televised media conference in Adelaide, “The government will appoint a special adviser who we have requested the Israelis work with so we can be advised about the appropriateness of the process.”
“We want to have full confidence in the transparency and accountability of any investigation and we will continue to work to achieve that.”
The Israeli military on Friday dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into this week’s deadly airstrike on the aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, found serious errors and breaches of procedure.
Wong described the dismissals as “necessary first steps” but said the government had told Israel in a letter sent overnight that “initial responses suggest that the gravity of the death of seven humanitarian workers is yet to be appreciated by the Israeli government”.