Fatal air raid
Gaza aid workers killed: US President Biden criticizes Israel – military declares “serious mistake”
Vehicles belonging to the international aid organization World Central Kitchen destroyed by the Israeli attack
© Omar Ashtawy / DPA
Seven Gaza helpers from the World Central Kitchen organization are dead – US President Joe Biden is calling for a quick clarification. The Israeli army has an explanation for the incident.
The Israeli army has described the killing of seven aid workers from the US aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip as a “serious mistake”. “This incident was a serious mistake,” Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a video message published on the online service X on Wednesday. US President Meanwhile, Joe Biden sharply criticized Israel and accused the country of not doing enough to protect such aid workers.
“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night, during a war, in very complex conditions,” Halevi continued. “That should not have happened.” An independent body will thoroughly investigate the incident and present its findings in the coming days.
According to the organization, seven helpers from Australia, Poland and Great Britain were killed in the attack on a WCK convoy on Monday. The victims also included a person with US-Canadian citizenship and a Palestinian. The incident reportedly occurred as the convoy of three vehicles was leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in the center of the Gaza Strip. The aid organization announced that it would stop all activities in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Tuesday of a “tragic incident” in which the Israeli military “unintentionally” hit innocent people in the Gaza Strip. President Isaac Herzog expressed “his deep sadness and sincere apologies for the tragic loss,” according to a statement.
Joe Biden: Israel has not adequately protected civilians
Several countries, including Germany, were shocked and called for rapid clarification. US President Biden sharply criticized Israel on Tuesday evening (local time). “Incidents like yesterday’s simply shouldn’t happen,” he said. “Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.”
He was “outraged and heartbroken” about the death of the WCK relief workers. The distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip has been difficult “because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers who have tried to deliver urgently needed aid to civilians.” In the statement, Biden also called for the Israeli investigation into the attack to take place quickly. The results would have to be published.
The US aid organization WCK, founded by the prominent television chef José Andrés, has been committed to helping the starving population in the Gaza Strip since the war between Israel and Hamas began almost six months ago. The helpers also played a leading role in delivering food by ship from Cyprus to the Gaza Strip and in building a pier.
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the unprecedented major attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas on October 7th. According to Israeli reports, around 1,160 people were killed, some brutally, and around 250 others were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel has since taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to information from the Hamas-controlled health authority, which cannot be independently verified, more than 32,900 people have been killed so far.