Repudiation of Israel for killing 7 aid workers for Gaza

Deir Ballah. The NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) yesterday suspended its aid work in the Gaza Strip, after seven of its foreign workers were killed in a drone attack by the Israeli army, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a Unintentionalbut it’s part of what happens in a war.

Several ships that recently arrived in Gaza have headed back to Cyprus with 240 tons of aid not distributed after the bombardment, an official in the Mediterranean island nation, which has played a major role in establishing the sea route, announced yesterday.

Netanyahu noted that the authorities are reviewing this thoroughly y They will do everything possible to ensure that this does not happen again..

Images of the bodies of the aid workers killed in the attack and lying in a hospital in the central Gazan town of Deir Balah showed that several were wearing protective clothing with the charity organization’s logo.

The deceased were British John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby, the BBC reported; the Australian Zomi Frankcom, according to The Independent; the Polish Damian Sobol, identified by his country’s foreign ministry; Jacob Flickinger, of American and Canadian citizenship, according to hospital records, as well as the Palestinian driver Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.

WCK, the charity, founded by Spanish-American chef José Andrés, was the centerpiece of a sea route recently opened to bring desperately needed aid to northern Gaza, where the United Nations says much of The population is at risk of dying of hunger, practically isolated from the rest of the territory by Israeli forces.

José Andrés, whose charity operates in several countries affected by different crises or wars, said he has the broken heart for the death of his colleagues.

The Israeli government must stop these indiscriminate deaths and allow humanitarian aid, it must stop using food as a weaponhe wrote on the social network X.

WCK said the team was traveling in a convoy of three vehicles, two of them armored, and had coordinated their movements with the Israeli army. The vehicles were clearly marked on the roofs with NGO logos that allowed them to be identified.

Investigation will be opened, says the army

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, chief spokesman for the Israeli army, commented that the authorities were analyzing what happened at the highest level, and that an independent investigation would be opened that will help us reduce the risk of such an incident occurring again.

Erin Gore, CEO of WCK, mentioned that This is not only an attack against WCK, but against humanitarian organizations that respond to difficult situations.

The commissioner general of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East, Philippe Lazzarini, mentioned being devastated for the bombing of WCK and highlighted the work of this NGO that helps “a population that is dying of hunger.

The seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza. Photo from WCK page

The UN special rapporteur for Palestine, Francesca Albanese, published in X: Knowing how Israel operates, my assessment is that they intentionally killed WCK workers so that donors would withdraw and civilians in Gaza could continue to starve in silence..

The founder of the NGO Proactiva Open Arms, Óscar Camps, complaint the irreparable void that stops the attack.

The UN, the World Health Organization and the European Union separately condemned the Israeli bombing.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country was outraged by the death. completely unacceptable of a compatriot in Gaza in the Israeli airstrike, and stated that Tel Aviv committed to carrying out a thorough investigation.

Spain demanded to Israel clarify the circumstances of the brutal attack and President Pedro Sánchez expressed his deepest regret for the death of WCK collaborators, reported the correspondent of The Conference Armando G. Tejeda.

Germany assured that incidents cannot be allowed of that type and called for an investigation. China expressed its shock and blamed Israeli forces for the incident, while France and Poland condemned the attack.

The British government yesterday summoned the Israeli ambassador in London, Tzipi Hotovely, for the death of its three citizens.

Iran called on the international community to condemn the massacre, while Cyprus reported that it will keep its route to the Gaza Strip open.

Hamas denounced that Israel’s attack is part of Israeli policy of systematic murder of innocent civilians.

In this context, the President of France, Emanuel Macron, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, highlighted the importance of avoiding an escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, especially towards Lebanon, where the Israeli army and the party Shiite Hezbollah have been fighting since October 7.

In Israel yesterday, protests continued outside the Israeli Parliament against Netanyahu’s government and in favor of the release of the hostages held by Hamas.