Key Points
- Israel’s President has expressed “sincere apologies” for the death of Gaza aid workers.
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
- The workers killed included Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian citizens.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologised Tuesday for the air strike that killed at least seven aid workers in Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier stopped short of apologising for the deaths, which he described as a “tragic case” that would be investigated “right to the end”.
“It happens in war… we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again,” Netanyahu added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Australian government is demanding “full accountability” with a request for a call-in from the Israeli ambassador over the death of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom in what her employers described as a “targeted” Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
“We want full accountability for this, this is a tragedy that should never have occurred,” Albanese told reporters on Tuesday.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, said that there was no evidence Israel deliberately targeted the aid workers but that it was outraged by their deaths and Israel had an obligation to ensure aid workers in Gaza were not harmed.
The White House said it expected a broad and impartial investigation to be carried out with appropriate accountability.
“These people are heroes, they run into the fire, not away from it,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the seven aid workers, speaking to reporters in Paris. “We shouldn’t have a situation where people who are simply trying to help their fellow human beings are themselves at grave risk.”
Israeli president, Isaac Herzog has apologised for the deaths of the Gaza aid workers. Source: AAP / Bart Maat
Herzog said he spoke to Jose Andres, the US-based celebrity chef who heads the aid group World Central Kitchen, to express his “deep sorrow and sincere apologies over the tragic loss of life”.
AFPTV footage showed the roof of a white vehicle emblazoned with the group’s logo punctured with a blackened hole, alongside the mangled wreckage of other vehicles.
World Central Kitchen had earlier said a “targeted attack” by Israeli forces on Monday had killed its staff, which included Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian citizens.
The charity, which has been delivering food aid to Gaza’s starving population, said its convoy was clearly marked and it had coordinated with the Israeli military to avoid any danger.
Since Hamas’s 7 October attack, Gaza has been under a near-complete siege, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing deliveries of humanitarian assistance to the 2.4 million Palestinians in the devastated territory.
UN agencies have repeatedly warned that northern Gaza is on the verge of famine, calling the situation a man-made crisis.
But Herzog said Israel was committed to “delivering and upgrading humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza”.
The Israeli military also said Tuesday they were looking at ways to coordinate safe aid deliveries.
Hamas’ 7 October attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign, aimed at destroying Hamas, has killed at least 32,916 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
