Governments around the world have condemned the killing of seven humanitarian workers in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike hit a convoy belonging to the disaster relief group World Central Kitchen on Monday night. Israel's prime minister described the incident as unintentional, while the charity maintains the strike was targeted. The organization has formally suspended its operations in the region.
In a statement confirming the deaths of its seven colleagues, World Central Kitchen said its three-car convoy had been coordinating its movements with the Israeli military and that every vehicle carried the group's logo. Video and images from the scene show a large hole in the roof of one vehicle, next to the organization's insignia. Another vehicle appears completely burned out.
The seven victims include citizens of Poland and the United Kingdom, a dual national of the United States and Canada, and a Palestinian driver. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters that one of the dead was 42-year-old Zomi Frankcom of Melbourne. "We want full accountability for this," he said, calling the deaths "a tragedy that should never have occurred." Albanese added that the workers should have been protected.
Frankcom's family said their daughter leaves behind a legacy of compassion, bravery and love. Only last week, she had posted a video on social media, smiling broadly as she showed the food being served at the group's central Gaza distribution site. The team had just unloaded a 100-ton shipment of food at its central Gaza warehouse when the convoy was hit.
The United Kingdom's foreign secretary urged Israel to make major changes to protect aid workers. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for a "swift, thorough and impartial investigation." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on social media that "a tragic case of our forces unintentionally harmed innocent people in Gaza." He later said that "this happens in war" and that Israel would do everything to prevent a repeat.
The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory offered a different account, calling the attack targeted. The UN says nearly 200 aid workers have been killed since the war began on October 7. Keith Stintas of the UN's humanitarian affairs office said much more must be done so aid workers can operate safely. "We've been asking for months for that kind of coordination, for that kind of understanding. That hasn't come yet," he said. "We're still asking for basic assurances about the safety of staff and civilians on the ground."
At the World Central Kitchen site in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah, workers were still preparing meals on Tuesday despite the announced suspension. Volunteer Zakaria Osama Abu Kweik said everyone there was shocked by the killings. He said he could not imagine what would happen to Gaza's already desperate population if the kitchen stopped operating, describing it as vital to many people's survival.
According to World Central Kitchen, it has delivered 43 million meals to Palestinians since the start of the war, which is now approaching the six-month mark.
