Israeli President Isaac Herzog expressed apologies on Tuesday for the killing of seven aid workers by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also admitted Tuesday that Israel’s military had “unintentionally” killed seven aid workers with a US charity in an air strike in Gaza.
World Central Kitchen had earlier said a “targeted attack” by Israeli forces on Monday had killed the group, which included Palestinian, British, Australian, Polish, and US-Canadian employees.
Britain summoned the Israeli ambassador to London to receive “unequivocal condemnation” of the strike, as three of the aid workers were British citizens, and demanded “full accountability”.
Netanyahu stated it was a “tragic case” that would be investigated “right to the end”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington urged “a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened”.
‘Catastrophic’ Hunger
Netanyahu has promised to push on with the war to destroy Hamas, despite nightly street protests at home demanding he step down.
He has also faced some pushback from staunch ally the United States.
The White House said in a statement Monday it had once again expressed concerns to Israel about a planned offensive in Gaza’s crowded southern city of Rafah, which is crowded with 1.5 million people, most of them displaced by the war.
Gaza has been under an Israeli blockade since the start of the war, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing humanitarian aid deliveries and warning of “catastrophic” hunger.
That was equivalent to 97 percent of the combined economic output of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank in 2022, it said.
‘Heartbroken’ by Deaths
US-based WCK has been working to unload food brought to Gaza by sea from Cyprus.
The group’s CEO Erin Gore said: “I am heartbroken and appalled that we — World Central Kitchen and the world — lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the (Israeli army).”
The aid group said the team was travelling in a “de-conflicted” area in a convoy of “two armored cars branded with the WCK logo” and another vehicle at the time of the strike.
“Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli army, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route,” it said.
Cyprus said on Tuesday that the ship, the Jennifer, was returning to the Mediterranean island with around 240 tons of aid that had not been unloaded.
The Israeli military said it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident”, adding it had been “working closely with WCK”.
The UN condemned what it said was Israel’s “disregard” for humanitarian law.
AFP
