World Central Kitchen calls for third-party probe into Israel strike that killed team
GAZA ( Web News )
“An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth behind what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers,” WCK said in a statement.
Six foreign aid workers from Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom, including a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and one Palestinian national – were killed in the Israeli strike on Monday after they had finished unloading much-needed humanitarian food aid amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
The attack drew condemnation from the respective countries of the victims and from Israel’s ally, the US, who called on Tel Aviv to clarify the circumstances of the incident and to do more to protect civilians and aid workers.
Israel admitted to carrying out the attack, but claimed it was not intentional, with Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi attributing the strike to “misidentification – at night during a war in very complex conditions.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret over what he termed as a “tragic event,” but said “this happens in war.”
The Israeli military said an independent, professional expert body will investigate the deaths.
“We have asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the US, Poland, and the UK to join us in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or violated international law,” WCK said in a statement.
The organization said the deaths were a result of “a military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles. All three vehicles were carrying civilians. They were marked as WCK vehicles.”
The WCK convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route, WCK said earlier this week after the strike.
On Thursday, WCK reiterated its earlier stance that the team had coordinated with Israel over their whereabouts. “Their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission,” it said.
“Yesterday, to ensure the integrity of the investigation, we asked the Israeli government to immediately preserve all documents, communications, video and/or audio recordings, and any other material potentially relevant to the April 1 strikes,” the WCK statement added.