A charity called World Central Kitchen (WCK) has reported that seven aid workers have been killed in Gaza by an alleged Israeli air strike. José Andrés, the founder of WCK, confirmed that individuals from the UK, Poland and Australia were among the fatalities. The CEO of WCK, Erin Gore, paused operations immediately in the area. The alleged attack caused a great deal of concern, with condemnation from the Palestinian media office run by Hamas and the White House National Security Council. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was conducting a “thorough review” before confirming any responsibility.
A journalist working for the BBC in Gaza claimed that three of the international aid workers and one Palestinian driver were killed. Foreign passports were also displayed. Ms Gore stated that those killed were part of a convoy of aid workers that was hit while exiting the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza where the team had unloaded over 100 tons of humanitarian food aid which had been brought to Gaza via a maritime route.
The charity has not revealed the identities of those killed but WCK alerted the public that the victims included Australian, Polish, British, Palestinian and a dual US-Canadian citizen. Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, urged Israel to investigate what occurred stating “humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed”.
Chef Andrés called on the Israeli government to stop the indiscriminate killing. The charity has been in the news recently for providing hundreds of tons of food to residents of Gaza which arrived on the first aid ship. The IDF suggested that it was working closely with the WCK in providing food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and that it was “making extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery” of aid. However, the Australian Prime Minister has demanded full accountability for the tragedy and expects a prompt investigation. The UK Foreign Office and Polish foreign ministry have so far declined to comment
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