Netanyahu defends Israel air strike that killed Gaza aid workers

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has acknowledged that seven relief workers were “unintentionally” killed by his country’s armed forces during an airstrike in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, in the last day there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” he said as he left hospital in Jerusalem after a hernia operation.

“It happens in war, we will investigate it right to the end… We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”

The seven fatalities were employed by the US-based World Central Kitchen (WCK), which ships food supplies from Cyprus to Gaza, a war-torn region.

Following what it said as the “targeted Israeli strike” on Monday, it suspended operations in Gaza. “From Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and Palestine,” it stated, were among the dead.

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Prior to this, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that he had spoken with celebrity chef Jose Andrés, the creator of WCK, to offer their “deepest condolences”.

He declared that “we will share our findings transparently” and that the Israeli military’s Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism would conduct the investigation.

An army spokeswoman stated that Herzi Halevi, Israel’s Chief of Staff, will “personally review the findings of the initial inquiry tonight”.

UN authorities have stated time and time again that starvation is imminent in northern Gaza and have labeled the situation as a man-made crisis.

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The October 7 strike set off the bloodiest-ever Gaza war, killing over 1,160 Israelis, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli estimates.

According to the Gaza-based health ministry operated by Hamas, at least 32,916 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s retaliatory attack, which is intended to destroy Hamas and disproportionately affect women and children.

(With agency inputs)