Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday the death of seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza from Israeli strikes. The workers are from World Central Kitchen.
In a press release, Netanyahu stated, “Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.”
Additionally, Netanyahu said on X (formerly Twitter) that “Israel is fully committed to enabling humanitarian aid to reach the civilian population in Gaza and we will do everything in our power to ensure that such tragedies do not occur in the future.”
World leaders expressed their concern and outrage in response to the killings. US President Joe Biden stated, “I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.” Biden also noted his concern with the number of aid workers that have been killed throughout the conflict since October 7 and that “Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.”
Last month, Biden signed a $1.2 trillion government appropriations bill that bans UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) funding and continues the US’s annual security commitment of $3.3 billion to Israel through grants.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that he was “appalled” by the killing and noted that “far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also expressed his outrage with the killing after a phone call with Netanyahu, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
This strike comes in the wake of an ICJ order last week imposing additional emergency provisional measures Israel must follow in South Africa’s genocide case against the country. The court unanimously ordered Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures” to ensure the “unhindered” flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Gaza has been decimated in the nearly six months of war following October 7. Israeli strikes have hit locations including medical facilities and refugee camps, and human rights groups have accused Israel of war crimes. This has had devastating impacts on civilians. Nearly 2 million people, 85 percent of the territory’s population, have been displaced by the violence, and more than 32,000 people have been killed—mostly civilians. Survivors face a collapsed medical system and imminent famine.
