Food aid organization, world central kitchen said, on Tuesday, that an Israeli strike has killed seven of its workers in the Gaza strip.
The aid organization also announced it was pausing operations in the region.
The victims include a dual US-Canada national, as well as people from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and a Palestinian, the group said.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we – World Central Kitchen and the world – lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF,” World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore said in the statement.
Saif Issam Abu-Taha, a Palestinian driver and translator working with WCK was named as one of the victims by Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese identified the Australian victim as Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom. “This is someone who volunteered in Australia to help people during the bushfires. This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza,” Albanese said.
The Israeli military say it is investigating the deadly strike on WCK aid workers “at the highest levels,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari also said that he had spoken to WCK founder Chef José Andrés and “expressed the deepest condolences of the Israel Defense Forces to the families and the entire World Central Kitchen family.”
The international response and condemnation have been swift with the US government saying it is “heartbroken and deeply troubled” by the strike and is urging Israel to investigate the incident.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he had “personally” asked the Israeli Ambassador to Poland Yacov Livne for “urgent explanations.”
The United Kingdom says it is “urgently seeking further information” on the death of a British aid worker “killed in Gaza”, its foreign office said on Tuesday.
Australia has contacted Israel, the country’s prime minister Anthony Albanese said, adding that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has “requested a call-in from the Israeli ambassador to Australia” to “ask for accountability.”
Since the start of the war in October 2023, world central kitchen has been involved in relief efforts, including supplying meals to hunger-stricken Gaza.
The non-profit group said its team was traveling in a “deconflicted” area in a convoy of “two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle” at the time of the strike.
It is one of two groups spearheading efforts to deliver aid to Gaza by boat from Cyprus and was also involved in the construction of a temporary jetty.
