Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the death of an Australian employee of the US aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in the Gaza Strip and strongly condemned the attack on the organization’s vehicle. “This is a tragedy that should never have happened,” Australian media quoted Albanese as saying.
His cabinet contacted the Israeli government directly about the incident, which occurred “beyond all reasonable circumstances.” The Foreign Ministry in Canberra also asked the Israeli ambassador to call. “People who provide humanitarian aid and civilians must be protected,” emphasized the head of government in Canberra.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “This is a tragedy that should never have happened”Image: Hamish Blair/AP Photo/picture alliance
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since confirmed that his country’s army is responsible for the deaths of the aid workers. In a statement, he spoke of a “tragic incident” in which the armed forces “inadvertently hit innocent people in the Gaza Strip.”
According to WCK, a total of seven people were killed – in addition to the Australian, nationals from Poland, Ireland and Great Britain as well as Palestinians. One victim also had US and Canadian citizenship.
There is also dismay in the EU and USA
The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on the online service X that he condemned the attack and called for an investigation. “Despite all calls to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, we are seeing new innocent victims.”
US Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson emphasized that the White House was “deeply dismayed”. Aid organization employees “must be protected when they deliver urgently needed aid.” Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X that his country “does not agree with the lack of compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers.”
The Israeli army, in turn, promised “a thorough investigation at the highest level.” Spokesman Daniel Hagari said the army was bound by international law. “We are obliged to investigate our operations thoroughly and transparently.” This should also help “to reduce the risk of such an incident happening again.” Hagari spoke of the investigation by an independent and professional panel of experts.
Organization stops working in the Gaza Strip
World Central Kitchen has since announced that it will temporarily cease its work in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli armed forces hit a convoy “as it was leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, despite agreements,” the organization said. The team unloaded 100 tons of emergency aid there, which were delivered by sea. “The WCK team was traveling in a conflict-free zone in two armored vehicles with the WCK logo and one unprotected vehicle,” it said.
Hunger in Gaza: Catastrophic proportions
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World Central Kitchen has been involved in distributing aid in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war between Israel and the militant Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It is one of two organizations delivering humanitarian goods by ship from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip and was also involved in the construction of a temporary pier there.
World Central Kitchen was founded by the Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés, who lives in the USA. He wrote on X that morning that the Israeli government must “stop this indiscriminate killing.”
The star chef José Andrés, who lives in the USA, is the founder and head of the aid organization World Central Kitchen Image: Patsy Lynch/MediaPunch/picture alliance
The Israel-Hamas war was triggered by the worst massacre since the founding of Israel. On October 7, hundreds of Hamas terrorists breached Israeli border fortifications and committed atrocities, mostly against civilians. At the same time, thousands of rockets were fired at Israel.
According to the Israeli military, more than 1,100 people fell victim to the attack on its own territory. Around 250 people were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Subsequent Israeli attacks killed more than 32,000 people in the Palestinian territory, according to figures from the Hamas authorities. This information cannot be independently verified. In addition to Israel, Hamas is also classified as a terrorist organization by the USA, the EU, Germany and other countries.
sti/pg/yy (afp, dpa, rtr)