Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Tuesday that the Israeli army hit several trucks of the humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to Netanyahu, it was an unintentional tragic incident. Seven workers of WCK, which distributes food in Gaza, died in it, Haarec reports. The Israeli military has also expressed regret and promised an independent and professional investigation into the incident. The death of humanitarian workers was condemned by countries such as Poland, Spain, Australia and Great Britain.
“This was a tragic case where our forces inadvertently hit innocent people in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war and we will investigate it thoroughly. We are in contact with the governments involved and will do everything we can to ensure it does not happen again ,” Netanyahu said, according to the Haaretz newspaper, when he was discharged from a Jerusalem hospital where he had successfully undergone hernia surgery.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari in https://twitter.com/IDF/status/1775086598314475817 posted on the X network said the incident would be investigated by an “independent, professional and expert” body. Hagari also said he spoke with WCK founder Chef José Andrés and offered his condolences. Andrés had previously called on the Israeli government to stop cutting humanitarian aid in Gaza, killing civilians and aid workers and using food restrictions as a weapon.
“At the same time, we express our sincere regret to our allied countries who have done and are still doing so much to help those in need,” Hagari said. According to WCK, they were citizens of Australia, Poland, Britain, one person with dual citizenship (USA and Canada) and a Palestinian.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Kac expressed deep regret over the deaths of humanitarian workers. IN https://twitter.com/Israel_katz/status/1775102605355524502 on the X network, he said that the army and responsible officials are doing and will continue to do everything to protect civilians. “This incident will be investigated by qualified authorities and the conclusions necessary to ensure the safety and protection of humanitarian workers will be drawn from it,” said the head of Israeli diplomacy.
The company WCK, which together with the Spanish NGO Open Arms organizes the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip via the maritime corridor from Cyprus, decided to suspend its activities in the strip in response to the attack.
Poland, Spain, Australia and other countries have condemned the deaths of aid workers
Monday’s incident was condemned by both the European Union and countries such as Poland, Spain, Britain, the United States, Australia and Cyprus. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is also requesting an “urgent investigation” of the hit by two vehicles that were clearly marked with the WCK logo. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also called on the Israeli government to clarify the incident, calling it “unacceptable”. Albanese also reiterated his call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and for increased humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip.
The White House also expressed “deep concern”. “Humanitarian aid providers must be protected because they deliver desperately needed aid. We urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened,” El País newspaper quoted Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the US National Security Council, as saying.
Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell attack https://twitter.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1775070453763055993 and called for an urgent investigation into the circumstances. He added that the incident is further proof that an immediate ceasefire is necessary. “Humanitarian workers must always be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law. We call for a thorough investigation of this tragedy,” the European Commission said in a statement. “We demand clarification of what happened and how it happened. The Israelis are aware of what we expect from them,” added Peter Stano, EC spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy.
It was the humanitarian organization WCK that collected the food aid, which was on the first ship sent to the Gaza Strip within the framework of the newly functioning maritime humanitarian corridor, in the establishment of which the European Union participated together with other partners. The spokesperson for the EC for humanitarian aid did not want to speculate on how this will further affect this initiative. “How ships and cargo are organized is a question for the Cypriot authorities, who play a leading role in the operation of the corridor,” said spokesman Balasz Ujvari.
British Foreign Minister David Cameron also called the news about the attack on trucks carrying food to civilians in Gaza deeply disturbing. “I ask the Israeli government to clarify the circumstances of this brutal attack,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, adding that he was appalled by it.
The WCK company itself strongly condemned the attack. “The Israeli government must stop cutting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” said WCK head Spanish-American chef José Andrés, quoted by El País.
In announcing the attack, WCK also emphasized that it coordinates the drives of its vehicles with the Israeli military and that the vehicles are clearly marked with the WCK logo. Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip has caused a humanitarian crisis that threatens to turn into a famine. The death tolls reported by Hamas, of which it says the majority are women and children, cannot be independently verified. According to some experts, however, they generally correspond to reality. But they do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, of whom Israel says its army killed over 13,000. Another 1,000 or so militants were killed in the October 7 attack on Israeli territory. During the ground operation, which the army launched in late October, 256 Israeli soldiers have also died so far.
Tags: Israel admitted military targeted aid workers Gaza Poland Spain Britain condemned
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