- Written by Emily Atkinson & Rushdie Abualouf
- bbc news
The body was taken to a hospital in Gaza.
Seven aid workers have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to the charity's founder.
World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced that workers from countries including the UK, Poland and Australia were killed.
WCK founder and chef José Andres said the two were killed “in an IDF airstrike.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was conducting a “thorough investigation”.
A Hamas-run media office in Gaza also condemned Israel.
The alleged strike could not be immediately independently verified.
Journalists working for the BBC in Gaza witnessed the bodies of three international aid workers and a Palestinian driver recovered from the site of the alleged airstrike. I was also asked to see my foreign passport.
WCK later announced in a statement that seven members of the team, including an Australian, a Polish national, a British national, a Palestinian national, and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, had died.
“Today, we, World Central Kitchen and the world, are heartbroken that we, World Central Kitchen and the world lost a beautiful life in a targeted attack by the Israeli Defense Forces,” the charity's CEO Erin Gore said in a statement. I am devastated and appalled.”
“Their love of feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity is better than anything else, and the impact they had on countless lives will be forever remembered and cherished. It will be done.”
Gore said WCK will cease operations in the area immediately.
He said the people who died were part of a convoy that was attacked as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza, adding: “The team was able to collect more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza by sea route. “I was unloading it,” he added.
Further details of the alleged attack are not yet available.
White House National Security Council Press Secretary Adrian Watson told the X show: “We are saddened and deeply troubled by the deadly strike.” [WCK] Aid workers in Gaza.
“Humanitarian aid workers providing desperately needed aid must be protected. We call on Israel to promptly investigate what happened.”
image source, world food kitchen
Lalzaumi “Zomi” Francome appeared in a World Food Kitchen (WFK) video last week
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that aid worker Lalzaumi “Zomi” Francome was among the dead and expressed his condolences to her family and friends.
“This is an individual who was volunteering abroad to provide aid through this charity to people suffering from extreme poverty in Gaza, and this is completely unacceptable,” he said in a statement. Ta.
He said Australia expected “full accountability”, adding this was a “tragedy that should never have happened”.
A Palestinian medical official told the BBC that the workers were wearing bulletproof vests emblazoned with the WCK logo. The charity is currently feeding thousands of people in Gaza.
In a post on X, celebrity chef Andres called on the Israeli government to “stop this indiscriminate killing.”
Commenting on the report, the IDF said it was conducting a thorough investigation at the highest level to understand the circumstances of this “tragic incident.”
“IDF has undertaken extensive efforts to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian supplies and is working closely with WCK in this critical effort to provide food and humanitarian supplies to the people of Gaza,” it added.
Prior to confirming that one Australian had died in the incident, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said it had made clear that humanitarian workers in Gaza expect safe and unimpeded access to carry out life-saving operations. “There is,” he said.
The British Foreign Office and the Polish Foreign Office have been contacted for comment.
