ALBAWABA - The US-based aid organization, World Central Kitchen (WCK) called for an independent investigation into the killing of seven of its workers in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
"An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers," the WCK said in a statement.
Seven aid workers were killed Monday night when their three-vehicle convoy, which included two armored cars, was struck after leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza, where they had helped unload more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid brought to Gaza via the maritime route.
According to WCK, the aid workers killed were nationals of Australia, Canada/US (dual citizen), Gaza, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Israel has admitted to the killings but called it "a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants," and something that "happens in war".
The organization said that it was a military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles. All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities rules, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission.
WCK called on the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Poland, and the United Kingdom to join hands in demanding an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law.
Earlier yesterday, WCK announced temporarily halting all their operations in Gaza till further notice. Additionally, an aid ship has been returned to Cyprus just when it was about to sail near the Gazan shores to deliver more than 240 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
An official statement was released regarding the pause of work in Gaza, as the WCK said a decision will be made regarding the future of the operations in the enclave.
"World Central Kitchen is pausing our operations immediately in the region. We will be making decisions about the future of our work soon" the statement reads.
World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore called the attack unforgivable. "This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war," Gore said.
Al-Aqsa Flood operation against Israel
Hamas military group announced on Oct. 7 a military operation called "Al-Aqsa Flood" against Israel which is the biggest offensive in decades.
Palestinian fighters “infiltrated” Israel from the Gaza Strip and captured military bases and took hostages as photos and videos went viral online showing Hamas fighters on vehicles inside Israel and others paragliding into occupation territory.
In response, Israeli armed forces announced targeting Hamas positions inside the Gaza Strip. Thousands were killed, and dozens of thousands of others were injured in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.
