The Israeli army recognized its responsibility this Wednesday after the strike which killed seven employees of the humanitarian NGO World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip. This “serious error” “should not have happened,” said Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in a video message, referring to “misidentification” in “very complex conditions.”
#BREAKING: Statement from IDF Chief of Staff Ltg Herzi Halevi:
“I want to be very clear—the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification—at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn't… pic.twitter.com/vpcREeF6Vo
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) April 2, 2024
For his part, the President of Israel Isaac Herzog presented, on Tuesday, his “sincere apologies” and expressed his “deep sadness” for this strike, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as “unintentional” and “ tragic.”
VIDEO. “A tragedy that should never have happened”: 7 humanitarian workers killed in Israeli strike
Based in the United States, the NGO World Central Kitchen, one of the few still operating in the Palestinian territory devastated by nearly six months of war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, announced “suspending its operations in the region” after the strike on Monday in Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip.
Several countries and organizations, including the UN which denounced a “contempt for international humanitarian law”, condemned this strike, the deadliest to have affected international humanitarian personnel since the start of the war.
US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he was “outraged” and “heartbroken”, believing that Israel does not “enough” protect volunteers coming to the aid of the “starving” Palestinian population.
" It is unacceptable. But this is the inevitable result of the way the war is being fought,” noted United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, repeating his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of the hostages and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The death of the seven members of World Central Kitchen brings the total number of humanitarian workers killed during this conflict to 196, "including more than 175 from the UN", he recalled.
International outrage
WCK said it was “devastated” by the death of the members of its team, the “heroes” whose names, photos and nationalities it published overnight on X: Saifeddine Issam Ayad Aboutaha, 25 years old, Palestinian; Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43, Australian; Damian Sobol, 35, Polish; Jacob Flickinger, 33, American-Canadian, as well as John Chapman, 57, James (Jim) Henderson, 33 and James Kirby, 47, British.
“These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories.” -Erin Gore, CEO. Read more: https://t.co/4f38RQ1l4I pic.twitter.com/neAsSzKVP5
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024
“I am heartbroken and dismayed that we, World Central Kitchen and the world, lost beautiful lives today due to a targeted attack by Israeli forces,” said WCK President Erin Gore .
Since the start of the war, WCK has participated in humanitarian operations by providing meals in the Palestinian territory, where the majority of the approximately 2.4 million inhabitants are threatened with famine according to the UN. She helped send the first aid boat from Cyprus via a maritime corridor to Gaza in mid-March.
Historical allies of Israel, the United States have called for a “rapid and impartial” investigation. The UK summoned Israel's ambassador on Tuesday to express its "unequivocal condemnation".
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, for his part, indicated on Wednesday that he had expressed to Mr. Netanyahu the “anger” of the Australian people “in the face of this tragedy”.
On Monday, an AFP correspondent saw five bodies and three foreign passports near the remains of the victims. Those of the six Westerners must be brought to the Rafah border post on Wednesday with a view to their repatriation, said Marwan al Hams, director of the Abu Najar hospital in this city bordering Egypt.
Since the start of the war, several NGOs present in Gaza have claimed that their employees or sites had been hit by Israeli strikes. Due to the difficulty of bringing humanitarian aid by land into the territory under Israeli blockade, a first humanitarian aid boat reached Gaza from Cyprus in mid-March.
But a second boat, the Jennifer, which was close to the Gaza coast, turned around and returned to its starting point with nearly 240 tons of undelivered food, after the strike which led to the suspension of WCK activities .