Charity Founder Accuses Israel of Targeting Aid Workers 'Systematically, Vehicle by Vehicle' During Deadly Strike
Allegations have surfaced as the founder of a prominent charity organization claims that Israel deliberately targeted aid workers 'systematically, car by car' in a strike resulting in seven fatalities. The international community's outrage is escalating, potentially jeopardizing Western backing for Israel's Gaza conflict.
The founder of World Central Kitchen (WCK) has accused Israel of targeting his aid workers “systematically, car by car” during the strikes that left seven dead on Monday. International outrage over the attack is growing, putting pressure on Western support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In a new statement, WCK has criticized Israel’s handling of the attacks and is demanding an independent investigation into the strikes that hit three WCK vehicles in central Gaza.
Israel has acknowledged the killings, describing it as a 'a tragic event where our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants,' and as something that 'occurs in war,' according to the non-governmental organization.
The organization stated that the incident involved a military attack with multiple strikes targeting three WCK vehicles, all of which were carrying civilians. These vehicles were clearly marked as WCK vehicles and were following their planned route in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were informed of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission.
Seven individuals from different nationalities – three Britons, a Palestinian, a US-Canadian dual citizen, an Australian, and a Pole – lost their lives in the attacks. This tragic event caused outrage in their respective countries and led to increased scrutiny of Israel's actions in Gaza following the conflict with Hamas in October.
During an interview with Reuters, renowned chef Jose Andres, the founder of WCK in 2010, accused Israel of deliberately targeting the seven WCK aid workers. According to Andres, this was not a case of accidental bombing, but a deliberate and systematic attack on the humanitarian workers.
Even if we were not working together with the Israel Defense Forces, it is unacceptable for any democratic country or military to harm civilians and humanitarian workers.
WCK has called on the governments of the victims to demand an investigation. They have also requested the Israeli government to keep all evidence related to the attacks to ensure a thorough investigation.
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israeli military, has expressed his apologies for the strike, calling it a mistake due to a misidentification.
Halevi clarified that the strike was not intended to harm WCK aid workers. He emphasized that it occurred at night during a war in highly intricate conditions. He admitted that it was a regrettable mistake that should not have happened.
Seven aid workers were killed in the attack; (from top left) Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Laizawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, Damian Soból, Jacob Flinkinger, John Chapman, James "Jim" Henderson and James Kirby.
Seven aid workers lost their lives in the attack. They were Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Laizawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, Damian Soból, Jacob Flinkinger, John Chapman, James "Jim" Henderson, and James Kirby.
From World Central Kitchen
But Israel’s response to the attack has exacerbated the anger in the home nations of the seven workers killed.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed on Thursday that he was not satisfied with Israel's explanation for the strikes.
Albanese emphasized the importance of holding those responsible for the strikes accountable and criticized the statements made by Israel, stating that they were not sufficient. He also pointed out that the strikes were a violation of humanitarian law.
WCK said its team was traveling in a “deconflicted zone” when the attack took place.
WCK said its team was traveling in a “deconflicted zone” when the attack took place.
Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images
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Analysis shows that the Israeli attack which resulted in the deaths of aid workers was carried out through multiple precision strikes.
The focus now is on how the United States, Israel's key ally and a major provider of arms and military aid, will respond. The upcoming phone call on Thursday between US President Joe Biden and Netanyahu will be their first conversation since the attacks.
Following the deaths, a senior official mentioned that Biden was feeling "angry" and "increasingly frustrated." He was ready to communicate these feelings to Netanyahu during their conversation and express his frustrations.
An analysis by CNN of videos and images from the aftermath indicated that the attack seemed to involve several precise strikes.
CNN was able to geolocate video and images of the three destroyed vehicles. One of the vehicles had a WCK logo on its roof. They were located at two positions on the Al Rashid coastal road of the strip, and another location in an off-road area nearby. The distance between the first and third locations was about 2.4 kilometers, suggesting that the vehicles were hit by separate strikes.
The strikes not only sparked anger worldwide but also raised concerns about the distribution of food aid in Gaza. The limited distribution of food aid was already a challenge, and now there are worries that it will become even more dangerous.
A boat connected to the World Central Kitchen (WCK) departed Gaza with about 332 tons of humanitarian aid onboard. Unfortunately, most of the aid was not unloaded due to an Israeli military strike, as reported by the Cypriot foreign ministry.
During the conflict between Israel and Gaza, over 33,000 Palestinians, along with hundreds of humanitarian workers, have lost their lives. The latest data from the health ministry in Gaza provides this grim information.
CNN’s Benjamin Brown, Irene Nasser, MJ Lee, Angus Watson, Allegra Goodwin and Gianluca Mezzofiore contributed to this report.
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