Governments blame Israel for attack that killed humanitarian NGO workers

Israel’s far-right government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, admitted on Tuesday (2) that the deaths of seven employees of the NGO World Central Kitchen occurred during a bombing carried out by the country’s military.

The workers were delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip when they were hit. In addition to the Palestinian driver and translator, the victims “have British, Australian and Polish nationalities, and the fourth nationality is unknown,” the Gaza Health Ministry said.

“Unfortunately yesterday (Monday) a tragic incident occurred, our forces unintentionally targeted innocent people in the Gaza Strip. This happens in a war (…), we are in contact with the governments and we will do everything possible to ensure that this does not happen again”, declared Netanyahu.

The NGO is based in the United States and belongs to Spanish chef José Andrés, known in his country for presenting the famous television program.

The group “lost several of our brothers and sisters in an Israeli Defense Force airstrike in Gaza. I am heartbroken and in mourning for the families and friends and the entire WCK family”, wrote Andrés in X. Due to the attack, the NGO took the decision to suspend work in the region.

WCK was involved in sending aid to Gaza through a humanitarian corridor from Cyprus and building a temporary pier in that Palestinian territory.

A first ship unloaded 200 tons of supplies in mid-March under the supervision of the Israeli army. A second shipment is on its way to the Gaza Strip.

The White House said it was “heartbroken” by the killings. “We are heartbroken and deeply concerned about the attack,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson wrote on X.

“Humanitarian workers must be protected as they deliver desperately needed aid, and we urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened,” he added.

European leaders have also gone public to hold the Jewish State accountable. The head of European Union diplomacy, Josep Borrell, demanded an investigation into the attack on the humanitarian convoy and reinforced the call for respect for international law within the conflict in the Palestinian enclave.

“I pay tribute to the World Central Kitchen employees killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. I condemn the attack and call for an investigation. Despite all the demands to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, we are witnessing new innocent victims. This shows that the United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, full humanitarian access and enhanced protection of civilians must be immediately implemented,” wrote Borrell, in a post on X.