2024-04-02 20:37:30
image copyrightGetty Images
Caption,
Australian Lalzawmi Frankcom (left) is among those killed in the attack.
Article information
- Author, Editorial
- Scroll, BBC News World
- April 2, 2024, 12:01 GMT
Updated 2 hours
The death of 7 humanitarian workers from the non-governmental organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza caused consternation in the international community.
Among the deceased from the NGO, founded by Spanish chef José Andrés, there are three Britons, an Australian, a Pole, a Palestinian and a dual American/Canadian citizen.
So far, the Palestinian Saif Abu Taha, who was driving one of the attacked cars, the Polish Damian Sobol and the Australian Lalzawmi Frankcom have been identified.
“This is not just an attack on WCK, it is an attack on humanitarian organizations that find themselves in the most dire situations where food is used as a weapon of war. This is inexcusable,” Erin Gore, executive director of the NGO, said in a statement.
According to another statement from the NGO, the volunteers were traveling through a “non-conflict area in two armored vehicles with the WCK logo” and a normal vehicle.
World Central Kitchen further explained that their movements were coordinated with Israeli forces, but that they were attacked following leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah.
image copyrightGetty Images
Caption,
One of the WCK vehicles attacked by Israel.
“Today we have lost several of our brothers and sisters (…). I am heartbroken and saddened for their families and friends and for our entire WCK family. These are people… angels… I served alongside them in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not anonymous…” Andrés wrote on his X page (the social network formerly known as Twitter).
“The Israeli government must put an end to this indiscriminate killing. It must stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It has to start now.”
A Palestinian medical source told the BBC that the workers wore bulletproof vests with the NGO’s logo.
The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that it has recovered the seven bodies from the scene following an operation lasting several hours.
He indicated that the bodies were taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in southern Gaza for evacuation through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.
A White House source said President Joe Biden had called José Andrés to express that he is “heartbroken” over the deaths of aid workers.
Meanwhile, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Biden administration is “outraged” by the attack.
Israel’s response
Caption,
Following the incident, the IDF spokesperson issued a video statement.
In a statement broadcast by video, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari expressed his condolences for what happened and said the army is investigating the “tragic death” of the workers.
Hagari reported that he sent “the deepest condolences” of the Israeli Army to the founder of WCK and expressed his “sincere regrets” to Israel’s allies who are collaborating with aid operations in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli forces have been working closely with WCK to help them “fulfill their noble mission” of delivering aid to Gaza, Hagari continued in the video, adding that they were one of the first NGOs to reach Israel following Hamas killed dozens. of Israelis.
“WCK’s work is critical; they are on the front lines of humanity,” the military official said, adding, “We will get to the bottom of this and share our findings transparently.”
image copyrightGetty
Caption,
The passports of some of the victims of the Israeli attack.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later admitted that an “unintentional” Israeli attack killed “innocent people” in Gaza.
Speaking in Hebrew in a video message, he said: “Unfortunately, in the last 24 hours there was a tragic case in which our forces unintentionally attacked innocent people in the Gaza Strip.”
“This happens in war, we are investigating it in depth, we are in contact with governments and we will do everything possible to ensure that this does not happen once more,” he said.
WCK and ANERA suspend activities
Following the event, WCK announced that it has suspended its operations in Gaza and will “soon make decisions regarding its future”, which might have a significant impact on the humanitarian situation in the territory.
According to Cogat, the Israeli Ministry of Defense agency in charge of coordinating aid deliveries to Gaza, this organization covers 60% of the non-governmental aid that reaches the territory.
WCK recently announced that it had served more than 42 million servings in the Strip since October and had more than one million outstanding.
The NGO was the focus of attention for providing Gaza residents with hundreds of tons of food that had arrived on a humanitarian aid ship in March.
Agencies have begun delivering assistance by sea to increase the volume of aid entering the territory, which the UN says is on the brink of famine.
Following the incident, another US-based organization that plays a key role in providing food for Palestinians announced it was suspending its operations in Gaza.
ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) was working in recent months alongside WCK, providing “regarding 2 million meals a week in Gaza,” the NGO’s CEO, Sean Carroll, told BBC correspondent Yolande Knell.
image copyrightSaif Abu Taha
Caption,
Palestinian Saif Abu Taha (left) and Polish Damian Sobol are among the dead.
When asked regarding the impact this decision would have on Gazans, who in the UN’s words are facing a man-made famine, Carroll stressed that “the occupying power has an obligation under international law to care for the people under occupation.”
It should be noted that the seven WCK volunteers are not the first humanitarian workers to die during the war between Israel and Hamas, which began nearly six months ago following Hamas’ incursion into Israeli territory.
“Nowhere else do so many humanitarian workers die. There must be an immediate ceasefire. Enough is enough,” wrote Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council and former UN humanitarian chief, following the deadly airstrike.
Before this incident, at least 196 aid workers were killed in the Palestinian territories since the start of the war, according to a tally by the Aid Worker Security Database, which records major incidents of violence once morest aid workers.
According to this database, last year was the deadliest ever recorded with 161 aid workers killed.
Most of those killed during the war worked for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which runs the largest aid operation in Gaza.
Claims to Israel
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom – the country where three of the deceased were from – urged Israel to “immediately investigate and provide a full and transparent explanation of what happened,” according to its chancellor, David Cameron.
The governments of Australia, Canada and Poland – the other nationalities of the other deceased foreigners – also expressed their indignation at the incident and asked Israel to investigate what happened to determine responsibilities.
image copyrightGetty Images
Caption,
WKC coordinated its movements with Israeli forces.
“A nightmare environment”
In the opinion of BBC Middle East correspondent Jeremy Bowen, this “terrible incident is due to the reluctance of the occupying power, Israel, to institute law and order mechanisms.”
Despite the chaotic atmosphere in the Strip, Bowen recalled that when humanitarian workers move through the area, “they do what is called coordination with the Israelis and inform them of their planned movements, their vehicles and their personnel.”
“In speaking to aid organizations that have been operating there for months – during which many, many Palestinian aid workers have been killed – I understand that, although they coordinate with Israel, they are still attacked.”
So, when there is an absence of governance, an absence of law and order, the correspondent explains, “with Israel coming and going and fulfilling its military objectives and not fulfilling other things, these types of incidents, unfortunately, are going to happen because “This is a nightmare environment.”
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