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The IDF opened an investigation after seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization were killed in what Palestinian media said was an airstrike in the Deir al-Balah area of the Gaza Strip, early Tuesday morning.
According to Palestinian reports, the IDF struck a civilian car the aid workers were in on a road near the beach. Airstrikes were also reported by Palestinian media in a separate part of Deir al-Balah at around the same time.
Following the reports, “the IDF began an in-depth investigation to understand the circumstances of the incident,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
The IDF added that it is “making great efforts to enable the safe passage of humanitarian aid, and is working in full cooperation and coordination with the WCK organization to support their efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip.”
Responses to the strike
The WCK, which provides food in disaster areas, confirmed that seven of its workers were killed in an IDF strike in Gaza on Tuesday, adding that it was pausing operations in the region “immediately.”
“We will be making decisions about the future of our work soon,” added the organization. The seven killed in the strike include Australian, Polish, and British citizens, as well as a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and a Palestinian.
The team hit in the strike was “traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle,” according to the WCK.
The organization added that they had coordinated their movements with the IDF and that the convoy was hit after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, shortly after unloading over 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza through the maritime route from Cyprus.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” said the CEO.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that Australian citizen Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom was one of the aid workers killed in the incident. Albanese demanded “full accountability,” saying, “This is a tragedy that should never have occurred,” according to Australian media.
“The truth is that this is beyond any reasonable circumstances that someone going about providing aid and humanitarian assistance should lose their life and there were four aid workers as well as a Palestinian driver in this vehicle,” added Albanese.
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