7 humanitarian aid workers killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza, says NGO

An Israeli airstrike killed seven humanitarian aid workers in central Gaza Strip, according to the not-for-profit World Central Kitchen (WCK).

The WCK is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that provides food in disaster-hit areas. It has been providing food for thousands of Palestinians in the war-hit Gaza, the Palestinian enclave where Israel and Hamas have been warring since October 7.

In a statement, the WCK said that the Israeli strike killed the staffers when they were “traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle” in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.

World Central Kitchen is devastated to confirm seven members of our team have been killed in an IDF strike in Gaza. Read our full statement on the loss of our team members here: https://t.co/gsijamzfMU pic.twitter.com/PtQCxX5XrW

— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024

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The Hamas-run media office of Gaza also blamed Israel for the deaths. The Israeli military said it was conducting a “thorough review” of the incident.

The WCK said that the attack occurred despite coordinating the staffers’ movement with the Israeli military. While the NGO did not name the deceased, it said they included persons from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, and a Palestinian.

The BBC quoted a medical source at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza as saying that the bodies of the four workers and their Palestinian driver had been brought to the hospital after a car they were travelling in on the coastal road was hit by an air strike at Deir al-Balah.

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The BBC also reported one of their journalists in Gaza as having seen the bodies of three international aid workers and a Palestinian driver recovered from the site of the alleged Israeli strike. It further reported that foreign passports were also shown to the journalist.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese demands ‘full accountability’

The Australian national killed in the strike has been named as Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed Frankcom’s death and demanded “full accountability” for the incident and called it “completely unacceptable”.

“This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza. This is just completely unacceptable. Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable,” said Albanese.

Albanese further said his government is approaching the Israeli government regarding the incident. He told the media, “We are contacting the Israeli ambassador to ask for accountability here. The truth is that this is beyond any reasonable circumstances that someone going about providing aid and humanitarian assistance should lose their life and there were four aid workers as well as a Palestinian driver in this vehicle. This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred.”

She was kind, selfless human who loved her work: Gaza strike victim’s family

The family of the Australian victim of the airstrike, Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom, has described her as a kind, selfless, and outstanding human being.

In a statement carried by ABC News, the family said Frankcom has “travelled the world helping others in their time of need”.

The family said Frankcom leaves behind a legacy of compassion, bravery, and love.

“We are deeply mourning the news that our brave and beloved Zomi has been killed doing the work she loves delivering food to the people of Gaza. She was a kind, selfless and outstanding human being that has travelled the world helping others in their time of need,” said the family in the statement.

Israeli airstrike unforgivable, indiscriminate killing must stop: WCK

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), WCK Founder Jose Andres said that Israel needed to “stop indiscriminate killings” and that food was being used as a weapon of war.

In a statement, WCK CEO Erin Gore termed the incent “unforgivable”. He said that it was not just an attack on WCK but an “attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war”.

Today @WCKitchen lost several of our sisters and brothers in an IDF air strike in Gaza. I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family. These are people…angels…I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They… https://t.co/rM3xbsiQ1Q

— Chef José Andrés 🕊️🥘🍳 (@chefjoseandres) April 1, 2024

“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. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” said Erin.