Four foreign NGO workers and their driver have been killed in an Israeli attack in the center of the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Hamas Ministry of Health.
Hamas talks about five “martyrs” who had just arrived at the hospital in Deir al Balah, and who were killed in “an Israeli attack against a vehicle of the American organization World Central Kitchen”.
“Three of them have British, Australian and Polish nationalities. The nationality of the fourth person is not known,” Hamas said. The fifth victim is a Palestinian driver and translator. An AFP correspondent saw five bodies and three foreign passports in the hospital.
An employee mourns over the body of a colleague. — © REUTERS
WCK confirms loss
The founder of World Central Kitchen, José Andrés, stated on Twitter that “WCK lost several sisters and brothers today in an airstrike by the Israeli army in Gaza.” “The Israeli government must stop these indiscriminate killings,” it said. “She must stop restricting humanitarian aid, killing civilians and aid workers, and using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It has to start now.”
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of an Australian woman who worked for the American NGO on Tuesday morning. He praised the “extremely valuable” work done by Zomi Frankcom, adding that Australia will investigate who is responsible.
The White House said it was “heartbroken” after the news. “The humanitarian workers must be protected as they provide much-needed assistance (to the Palestinians). We call on Israel to immediately investigate what happened,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said.
Israel investigates incident
The Israeli military said it is “investigating the tragic incident at the highest level to understand the circumstances” and assured that it has “cooperated closely with WCK” for the distribution of relief supplies to the people of Gaza.
World Central Kitchen is involved in the delivery of emergency aid to the Gaza Strip by boat from Cyprus, and in the construction of a temporary jetty. The first ship was able to moor there in mid-March and be unloaded under the supervision of the Israeli army.
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Tags: foreign NGO workers killed Israeli attack Gaza Strip Israeli government stop indiscriminate killings
