Four individuals from overseas were among the seven humanitarian workers who lost their lives during an assault by Israel in Gaza’s central region, as reported by World Central Kitchen (WCK). Although the charity had conferred with the Israeli Defence Forces about their movements, the aid workers’ convoy was targeted as it departed from the warehouse in Deir al-Balah. At this location, the team had just finished distributing in excess of 100 tonnes of aid in the form of food, brought to Gaza via a seafaring route.
The deceased have been identified from Australia, Poland, Britain, a person with dual nationality from the USA and Canada, and Palestine. WCK’s Chief Executive, Erin Gore, expressed that this assault not only targeted their organisation but also humanitarian entities at large, who are responding to severe situations where food is being weaponised in the conflict.
Consequently, WCK stated that it would halt its activities in the area, with decisions about the charity’s future operations to be taken shortly. Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, confirmed the death of an Australian citizen and condemned the incident as exceeding any reasonable bounds. He further specified that Australia demanded a full account of the aid workers’ deaths.
José Andrés, who founded WCK, expressed his grief and spoke highly of the personnel that had tragically lost their lives, who he had worked alongside in different regions including Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, and Indonesia. Andrés insisted on the necessity of the Israeli government ceasing this indiscriminate killing.
Video evidence revealed the corpses of five individuals at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Several were seen wearing protective gear imprinted with the charity’s emblem. Three victims were identified as British, Australian, and Polish by hospital staff showing their passports. The origin of the attack could not be ascertained independently.
A representative for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Avichay Adraee, has expressed that the IDF is thoroughly conducting investigations on a senior level regarding the tragic event involving the World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza. The IDF states that it is committed to ensuring the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and has a strong collaboration with WCK, that is instrumental in provisioning food aid to the Gaza inhabitants.
According to Mahmoud Thabet, a Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic, the vehicle carrying the aid workers was struck soon after it moved from northern Gaza. Aid vessels that docked on Monday transported approximately 400 tonnes of food and other crucial provisions arranged by the United Arab Emirates and WCK. Previously, they transported 200 tonnes of aid, a delivery which was also coordinated by the Israeli military.
The US government has advocated for shipping routes as an innovative approach to delivering critical aid to northern Gaza. The region is on the brink of famine due to restrictions imposed by Israel, cutting it off from the rest of the territories.
Israel has prohibited Unrwa, the primary UN authority in Gaza, from delivering aid to the northern region, citing security concerns. Other relief organisations have also reported troubles in carting truckloads of aid to the north due to the military’s failure to ensure a safe passage.
In similarly pressing revelations, Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade department conduct an urgent inquiry following reports of an Australian national’s death in the incident. The country’s leader Mr Albanese shared his concerns over the escalating fatalities in Gaza with ABC Radio on Tuesday and pledged his government’s ongoing support for an enduring ceasefire. He also demanded the release of hostages and mourned the loss of countless innocent Palestinian and Israeli lives in the Gaza-Hamas conflict.
Earlier, in an online announcement, WCK stated their awareness of the reports on the casualties from the WCK team during an IDF assault while they were providing humanitarian food aid in Gaza. They labelled the loss of aid workers and civilians as tragic, stressing that they should never be subjected to such incidents.