According to authorities, one Palestinian and nationals of Poland, Australia, and the United Kingdom were among those killed in the Israeli attack near Deir al Balah, in central Gaza.
Hours after the World Central Kitchen [WCK] charity sent in a fresh shipload of food to feed Palestinians driven to the verge of hunger by Israel’s horrific conflict, Israel killed at least four Western humanitarian workers and their Palestinian chauffeur.
The bodies of the five deceased were shown in footage taken on Monday at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the village of Deir al Balah in central Gaza.
A few of them had on safety gear bearing the charity’s emblem.
Three of the deceased’s passports—British, Australian, and Polish—were displayed by staff. It was not immediately clear where country the fourth assistance worker was from.
The Israeli military announced, as usual, that it was reviewing the situation “to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
“An IDF airstrike in Gaza today claimed the lives of several of our sisters and brothers at @WCKitchen. For their friends and families as well as the entire WCK family, I am inconsolable and in mourning. These individuals are angels.I worked alongside in Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia, and the Ukraine. The originator of WCK, Chef Jose Andres, stated, “They are not anonymous, they have a face.
“This senseless killing by the Israeli government must end. It must quit limiting relief to the needy, killing people and aid workers, and using food as a weapon. No more losses of innocent life. Our shared humanity is the foundation of peace. It must begin right away,” he declared.
The workers were in a three-car convoy traveling out of northern Gaza when an Israeli missile struck, according to Mahmoud Thabet, a Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic who was part of the team that transported the dead to the hospital and spoke to The Associated Press.
According to Thabet, WCK personnel informed him that the team was returning to Rafah in the south after organizing the distribution of recently delivered aid from the north.
The charity and the United Arab Emirates arranged for three relief ships to arrive earlier on Monday with 400 tons of food and supplies. This is the group’s second shipment following a test run last month.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade declared that it was looking into claims of an Australian charity worker’s death in Gaza “urgently.” These are really upsetting reports.”
At least four foreign volunteers working for the US-based humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen were slain by Israel in a recent airstrike on Gaza, according to local authorities.
The White House called Israel “heartbroken” and asked it to look into the matter.
Spokesman for the National Security Council Adrienne Watson posted on social media platform X, saying, “We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike,” and that “humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened.”
The UN has stated that a major portion of the population in northern Gaza, which is mainly blocked off from the rest of the region by Israeli forces, is on the verge of starvation. The US has promoted the maritime route as a fresh means of delivering much-needed food to this area.
The primary UN agency in Gaza, UNRWA, has been prohibited by Israel from delivering supplies to the north, and other humanitarian organizations claim that because the IDF hasn’t made sure people can travel safely, sending truck convoys north has become too risky.
The horrific Shifa Hospital tragedy in Israel was made public this morning.
A few hours later, Israel bombed an embassy in Syria, which is a diplomatic compound.
The war crimes committed by Israel
The attack occurred just hours after Israeli forces concluded a two-week-long incursion into Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, which left the building substantially destroyed and a trail of devastation throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.
Video footage revealed that the principal buildings in al-Shifa had been reduced to charred shells. After the troops left, Palestinians discovered human bodies at the scene.
In its merciless campaign on the blockaded enclave, Israel has murdered over 32,800 Palestinians and wounded 75,300 more, causing widespread destruction and shortages of basic supplies.
Additionally, Israel has enforced a punishing blockade on Gaza, pushing many of its citizens—especially those living in northern Gaza—to the brink of hunger.
Eighty-five percent of Gaza’s population is internally displaced due to the Israeli conflict, and the UN reports that sixty percent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Food, clean water, and medicine are in short supply.
The International Court of Justice, which requested Israel to take further action to stop the hunger in Gaza last Thursday, has accused Israel of genocide.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
