The American NGO World Central Kitchen announced on Tuesday that seven of its members had been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza. 20 minutes takes stock while the Israeli army claims to be investigating to understand the causes of this tragedy and the NGO has announced that it is putting an end to its activities in the region.
What happened on Monday in Gaza?
The American NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), which distributes meals to try to deal with the food crisis affecting the Gaza Strip, announced on Tuesday the death of seven of its members in an Israeli strike on Monday.
The NGO said the team was “traveling in a conflict-free zone in two armored cars bearing the WCK logo and an unarmored vehicle” when the convoy was hit. World Central Kitchen also stated in a statement that the convoy had just left the Deir al-Balah warehouse, “where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid”.
WCK is involved in sending aid by boat from Cyprus to Gaza and building a temporary pier in the besieged Palestinian territory. A first boat unloaded its cargo there in mid-March under the supervision of the Israeli army.
Who are the victims ?
WCK, who says he is “devastated” in a communicated, indicates that the seven people killed came from Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom. One victim had dual American and Canadian citizenship, and another was Palestinian. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed the death of Australian Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, hailing her “extraordinarily valuable” work.
An AFP correspondent says he saw five bodies in a hospital in Gaza. Three foreign passports were found near the remains, including those of Australian Zomi Frankcom and Pole Damian Soból (35 years old). In an AFP image, we can see the body of one of the victims wearing a black t-shirt with the NGO logo.
What do we know about Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom?
The Australian humanitarian “just wanted to help through this organization. This says a lot about the character of this young woman,” said Anthony Albanese, sending his “sincere condolences” to her family. A week earlier, Zomi Frankcom was filmed in the Gaza Strip alongside the NGO’s cooks. “Here is the magnificent fragrant rice that will be served today by the Deir al-Balah kitchen,” she said, smiling, in this video published on March 26.
This was not the first field mission for the Australian humanitarian worker. According to Anthony Albanese, the young woman had already volunteered after the fires which ravaged Australia from October 2019 to February 2020. She also appeared in a video posted from the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian, which struck the archipelago in 2019.
In September 2023, the Australian traveled to Morocco with World Central Kitchen following the devastating earthquake that hit the country. “We are going to these isolated villages as quickly as possible to serve the residents with fresh meals and water,” she told the American channel MSNBC. Her friend and colleague, Dora Weekley, describes her as a “tireless” young woman with a “huge heart.” “It’s inconceivable that people who do good work and help others could be killed,” she told national broadcaster ABC.
What are the reactions?
Erin Gore, CEO of WCK, said she was “heartbroken and dismayed that we – World Central Kitchen and the world – lost beautiful lives today due to a targeted attack by the Israeli military.”
For its part, the Israeli army indicated that it was “conducting a thorough investigation at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident”. The Australian Prime Minister said Australia was waiting “for the full truth to be shed on the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable.”
On the American side, the White House National Security Council declared through its spokesperson Adrienne Wats on of WCK in Gaza. In her message, Adrienne Wats also urges Israel to “quickly investigate what happened.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez “demanded” that Israel “shed light as soon as possible” on this tragedy, during a statement to the press, following a visit to the Palestinian refugee camp in Jabal el-Hussein, Jordan.
In a message posted on, European Commission Vice-President Josep Borrell said he “condemns this attack” and urges an investigation. “Despite all calls to protect civilians and aid workers, we are seeing new innocent victims,” he wrote.
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The Polish Foreign Ministry also expressed its condolences to its national killed in the strike, explaining that Poland “does not accept the failure to respect international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers” . THE Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on China also said it was “shocked” by this deadly strike.