An Israeli airstrike apparently killed four international aid workers and their Palestinian driver in the Gaza Strip, the media reported, citing Palestinian authorities. Among the dead, whose bodies are at al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Balah in the central part of the strip, is a Briton, a Pole and an Australian woman.
The fourth foreign victim is Irish, according to The Times of Israel, although other sources say his nationality has not yet been confirmed. Authorities said this based on passports found on the victims. The Israeli military is investigating the incident, according to a statement cited by Al Jazeera.
Later, the organization specified that the number of dead employees rose to seven. The World Central Kitchen (WCK), which supplies humanitarian aid to Gaza, has announced that it has decided to suspend its activities in the zone, according to AFP.
The foreign workers belonged to the charity company WCK), which, together with the Spanish NGO Open Arms, organizes the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip via the maritime corridor from Cyprus. The organization delivered around 330 tons of aid in three ships to the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The workers were delivering the aid and were wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo when the airstrike hit them, according to the AP.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that one of the dead is Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom. According to ABC News, she worked for WCK for five years, based in Bangkok, where she was in charge of managing the company’s activities on the Asian continent. According to Albanese, the government has contacted the Israeli ambassador and expects “full responsibility”, the prime minister is quoted by Reuters.
“The Israeli army (IDF) is conducting a thorough analysis (…) to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident,” the statement said. “The IDF is making significant efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, working closely with the WCK,” the Israeli military said.
“Humanitarian workers and civilians should never become targets,” said v https://twitter.com/WCKitchen/status/1774939414172442733 WCK and called the incident a “tragedy”. He intends to release a broader statement when more information is available about the strike, writes the British station Sky News.
According to the research company Aid Worker Security Database, around 200 aid workers have been killed since the start of the current war in the Gaza Strip.
The conflict was sparked early last October by terrorist attacks by the Palestinian movement Hamas and affiliates in southern Israel, prompting Tel Aviv to launch a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip to eliminate Hamas. As of Monday, the fighting claimed the lives of 32,845 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to a regular report by the Palestinian authorities. According to Israel, over 13,000 Hamas fighters and 600 Israeli soldiers were killed.
