The IDF opened an investigation after seven international aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) organization were killed in 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.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari spoke with WCK founder Chef Jose Anders on Tuesday, expressing his condolences to the families of the victims and the organization.
“As a professional military committed to international law, we are committed to examining our operations thoroughly and transparently,” said Hagari. “We also express sincere sorrow to our allied nations who have been doing and continue to do so much to assist those in need.”
Hagari stressed that the IDF is reviewing the incident “at the highest levels” to understand what happened. “We will be opening a probe to examine this serious incident further. This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again.”
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari speaks about the investigation into the strike in which WCK aid workers were killed. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
The IDF spokesperson added that the incident will be investigated in the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism: an independent, professional, and expert body.
“For the last few months, the IDF has been working closely with the World Central Kitchen to assist them in fulfilling their noble mission of helping bring food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” said Hagari. “WCK also came to help Israelis after the massacre of October 7th; they were one of the first NGOs here. The work of WCK is critical; they are on the frontlines of humanity. We will get to the bottom of this and we will share our findings transparently.”
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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