Israelis killed seven charity workers in an airstrike. Netanyahu admits fatal mistake, Biden rages

International charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) said an Israeli airstrike killed seven people working for the organization in the Gaza Strip. According to WCK, among the dead are citizens of Australia, Britain, Poland, one person who has US and Canadian citizenship, as well as one Palestinian. The WCK company, which supplies humanitarian aid to Gaza, also announced, according to AFP, that it has decided to suspend its activities in the zone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike, which was condemned by many countries around the world, was carried out by the Israeli army and that it was a tragic incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike, which has been condemned by many countries around the world, was carried out by the Israeli army and that it was a tragic incident.

The workers were riding in two armored cars marked with the organization’s logo and in another vehicle, the World Central Kitchen organization wrote in a statement. Although the convoy’s movements were coordinated with the Israeli military, the cars were hit as they left a warehouse in Deir Balah, where workers were unloading more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid delivered to the Gaza Strip by sea, WCK reported.

“It’s not just an attack on World Central Kitchen, it’s an attack on humanitarian organizations that are helping in the most dire conditions where food (scarcity) is being used as a weapon of war,” said WCK Executive Director Erin Gore. “It’s unforgivable,” she added.

The Israeli military expressed its sincere condolences to allied countries and promised that an independent and professional body would investigate the incident. In the afternoon, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel carried out the strike. “It was a tragic case where our forces inadvertently hit innocent people in the Gaza Strip. That’s what happens in war, and we’ll investigate it thoroughly.” he said. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Kac expressed deep regret over the deaths of humanitarian workers

Monday’s incident was condemned by the European Union, Poland, Spain, Britain, the United States, Australia and Cyprus. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and the head of British diplomacy, David Cameron, also demanded an urgent investigation into the circumstances of the strike. According to the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, the incident is further proof that an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is necessary. “Humanitarian workers must always be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the European Commission said in a statement.

The attack outraged the United States. “We are outraged to learn of yesterday’s (Monday) attack by the Israel Defense Forces, which killed several civilian aid workers,” said White House security spokesman John Kirby. Asked if the US would condemn the Israeli airstrike, Kirby said, according to Reuters, that the word outrage could be seen as a condemnation of the attack. According to the agency, he also reminded that Israel claimed responsibility for the strike and that responsibility must be derived from it.

Biden told WCK founder Spanish-American chef José Andrés that he would make it clear to Israel that aid workers must be protected, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at the same briefing.

The media, citing Palestinian authorities, have so far written about four dead foreign workers and their Palestinian driver, whose bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Balah in the central part of the Strip.

The World Central Kitchen (WCK) company, 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.

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 military (IDF) is conducting a thorough investigation… to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident,” an Israeli statement said. “The IDF is making significant efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and has worked closely with the WCK,” the Israeli military said.

Around 200 aid workers have been killed since the start of the current war in the Gaza Strip, according to research firm Aid Worker Security Databse.

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 32,845 Palestinian lives, 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.