International aid workers killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza

NOS News•today, 02:12•Amended today, 1:57 PM

In Deir al-Balah, in the middle of the Gaza Strip, seven employees of food aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The victims include citizens of Poland, Australia, the United Kingdom and an employee with dual Canadian and American nationalities. Their Palestinian driver also died.

WCK said in a statement on its website that the workers were hit by an Israeli airstrike after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah. They had just delivered relief supplies there that they had taken from a ship. “Despite coordination with the Israeli army, the convoy was hit.”

Israeli army spokesman Hagari earlier today did not explicitly take responsibility for the attack and said there would be an independent investigation. But hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed that the aid workers had been killed by the Israeli army in an “accidental attack on innocent people”.

He has launched an investigation into the incident. “Israel will do everything it can to prevent this from happening again.”

Hagari, on behalf of the army, conveyed his condolences to the relatives of the victims. Hagari also expressed his condolences to the countries of origin of the killed aid workers.

WCK director Erin Gore called the attack “inexcusable.” “This is not just an attack on WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian aid organizations working in the most dire situations where food is used as a weapon of war.”

The aid agency says it has immediately halted all activities in the region. A ship with 240 tons of relief supplies on board has been returned to Cyprus for now. It is not known whether and when WCK will resume support. “We will soon be making decisions about the future of our work,” said director Erin Gore.

Emergency workers on site after the air raid:

International aid workers killed in Gaza: ‘Completely unacceptable’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has asked the Israeli ambassador to his country for clarification about the attack. Albanese said he expects “full accountability” from Israel.

The United States has also responded, saying it is “deeply shocked and disturbed.” “We urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened,” a White House National Security Council spokesman wrote. https://twitter.com/NSC_Spox/status/1774988054811279703. A https://twitter.com/PolandMFA/status/1775062972643025001 came from Poland, which Israel has also asked for an explanation.

World Central Kitchen was founded in 2010 by Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés after the deadly earthquake in Haiti. The organization provides meals to victims of natural disasters and humanitarian crises.

Since the beginning of the war, WCK has helped both Palestinians and Israelis. After the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, WCK provided meals for Israeli refugees from the border region. Israeli soldiers in Gaza also received food from the aid organization.

Andrés said in a message on social media platform X know that he is deeply affected by the death of his “brothers and sisters” and sympathize with the families and friends of the victims. He also calls on Israel to stop killing civilians and aid workers: