Hamas claimed late Monday night that seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) who were distributing aid in central Gaza were killed in an IDF strike on their car.
The workers included citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Poland.
The IDF did not claim responsibility for the strike but said it is carrying out a thorough investigation “at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
Israeli security sources told Army Radio that “this is the worst incident we have had since the beginning of the war.” The incident is occurring at a time when Israel is facing intense international pressure regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari released a video in English early Tuesday afternoon expressing Israel’s “sincere sorrow” about the incident and its commitment to carrying out a full investigation by an independent body.
Of course, no matter what the investigation shows, the real culprit is Hamas, who brought the war upon Gaza and uses its citizens as human shields.
WCK issued a statement saying that the workers were “traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle” and were hit “despite coordinating movements with the IDF.”
“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,” said Erin Gore, the CEO of WCK. “This is unforgivable.”
WCK also announced that it is immediately pausing their operations in the region.
Following reports of the incident, US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson issued a statement saying that the US is “heartbroken and deeply troubled” by the incident and called on Israel to immediately launch a probe of the incident.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of an Australian citizen in Gaza and said that officials have contacted Israel to demand that those responsible for the deaths be held accountable.
“This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, that is completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and proper accountability,” he said at a news conference on Tuesday.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
“This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred,…! correct if Hamas wouldn’t use human shields it would have never occured
“to demand that those responsible for the deaths be held accountable….” first and foremost HAMAS!
DavidtheKanoi
Be a kanoi when Israel is agitating US, UK, Australia, and Poland now.
My assumption is a deliberate attack from a zealot IDF fighter. I bet on it…
Sorry. When you hang out in dangerous places you are putting your life at risk. Especially when your deep, driving desire to help Gazans is first and foremost a political statement. I feel worse for the soldiers whose head will roll over this unfortunate incident.
Cool down people. World Central Kitchen (WCK) is a known genuine organization. It was seeking to help people who are short of food. It, so it says, coordinated its movements with the IDF. In war, genuine people are hurt by genuine mistakes. That is the best scene scenario. I do not assume this was someone deliberately targeting WCK. It was likely a tragic error made due to the pressure of war, unlike the bombing of Nagasaki and Dresden, for example, which were carefully considered specific attacks that killed tens of thousands of citizens. Let’s keep things in proportion here.. What happened on October 7 was not a mistake, it was like Nagasaki and Dresden. That is the difference, but it still behooves us to offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who died.