Four foreigners working for a food aid charity were killed in an Israeli attack on central Gaza, according to health officials in the occupied territory. The founder of the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) confirmed on Twitter that “several” staff members were killed in Israeli air strikes.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that an Australian national had been killed while doing “extremely important work” and named her Zomi Frankcombe.
Other aid workers are reported to be from Poland and the UK, with the nationality of a fourth person not yet known. A Palestinian translator was also reportedly killed.
The Guardian has sought comment from the British and Polish authorities.
Albanese said on Tuesday the government would summon the Israeli ambassador over an incident that was “beyond any reasonable circumstances”, adding: “It is completely unacceptable that Australia wants to take full responsibility for the death of an aid worker.”
Local officials said the group was working for WCK when their convoy was attacked south of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Chef José Andrés, founder of WCK, said the charity “lost several brothers and sisters in the IDF air strikes in Gaza.”
“I am heartbroken and grieved for their families and friends and our entire WCK family. These are people…angels…I have served side by side in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not nameless… …They are not nameless.
He said the Israeli government needed to “stop this indiscriminate killing.”
Video footage showed the bodies of five deceased people at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Some of them wore body armor bearing the charity’s logo. Hospital staff showed the passports of the three deceased men – British, Australian and Polish.
The source of the fire could not be independently confirmed.
IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement:
“Following today’s reports regarding World Central Kitchen personnel in Gaza, the IDF is conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.
“The IDF has made extensive efforts to safely deliver humanitarian aid and has been working closely with WCK in their joint efforts to provide food and humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” the statement read.
Medical officials said the group had been helping deliver food and other supplies to northern Gaza, which had arrived by boat hours in advance.
Mahmoud Thabet, a Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic who transported the bodies to the hospital, told The Associated Press that the rescuers’ car was hit shortly after crossing from northern Gaza.
The aid ship that arrived on Monday was carrying about 400 tons of food and supplies, delivered by the United Arab Emirates and WCK organizations. Last month, a ship carried 200 tons of aid during a trial run. The Israeli military was involved in the coordination of both deliveries.
The United States has promoted the sea route as a new way to deliver much-needed aid to northern Gaza, where Palestinians face looming famine and Israeli forces have largely cut off ties with the rest of the region. Israel has banned UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from sending goods north, and other aid groups say sending convoys of trucks north is too dangerous because of the military’s failure to ensure safe passage.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was “urgently” investigating reports that an Australian had been killed.
“I am very concerned about the loss of life that is taking place in Gaza. My government supports a permanent ceasefire,” he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
“We call for the release of the hostages, as too many innocent lives have been lost during the conflict between Gaza and Hamas, both Palestinians and Israelis.”
Earlier, WCK issued a statement online saying: “We are aware of reports that members of the World Central Kitchen team were killed in an attack by the Israel Defense Forces while working to support our humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza.
“This is a tragedy. Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should never be targeted.”
