Remains of foreign aid workers killed in Israeli attack removed from Gaza

Rafah. The remains of six aid workers killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have been taken out of the territory for repatriation, Egyptian state media reported on Wednesday.

The bodies were taken by car and entered Egypt through the Rafah border crossing, Qahera TV reported.

The airstrike has renewed criticism of Israeli conduct in the war against Hamas that is approaching six months, and has underscored the dangerous conditions faced by international workers trying to bring aid to the besieged territory, where experts say nearly a third of of the population is on the verge of starvation.

The workers – three Britons, a Pole, an Australian and a Canadian-American – worked for World Central Kitchen, an international charity founded by chef José Andrés. The Palestinian driver also died, and his remains were handed over to his family for burial in Gaza.

The workers were distributing food that had been sent to Gaza via a newly established sea corridor when their three vehicles were hit by Israeli airstrikes on Monday night, killing all occupants.

Israel has acknowledged launching the attacks by mistake and has announced an investigation into the matter.

Many of Israel’s allies, including the United States, condemned the incident, and World Central Kitchen and other groups have suspended aid shipments to the Palestinians due to the lack of security.

Cyprus, which has played a key role in creating the sea corridor, said ships that arrived in Gaza on Monday returned to Cyprus with about 240 tons of undelivered supplies. However, she emphasized that sea deliveries will continue.

Israel is increasingly isolated as international criticism mounts over its Gaza offensive. On the same day as the airstrike, Israel raised further fears by apparently bombing the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing two Iranian generals. The Israeli government also announced measures to close an international media outlet, the Qatari-owned channel Al Jazeera.

The attack on the humanitarian convoy drew attention to what critics say is indiscriminate shelling and a disregard for civilian lives in Gaza.

In an opinion piece in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot this Wednesday, Andrés wrote that “the Israeli government needs to open land routes for the shipment of food and medicine today. “You need to stop killing civilians and aid workers today.”

Andrés, whose organization sends humanitarian assistance to war zones or natural disasters around the world, including in Israel after the October 7 attacks that sparked the war, wrote that the event “was not simply a regrettable mistake in the fog of war ”.

“It was a direct attack against clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known (to Israeli forces). It was also a direct result of the (Israeli) government’s policy of taking humanitarian assistance to desperation levels,” he added.