US President Joe Biden has condemned Israel's killing of seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza, accusing the country of not doing enough to protect them. Israel promised an independent investigation after the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Poland lost nationals in Monday's attack. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has apologised for the deaths. The seven victims were working for World Central Kitchen (WCK), which was attacked from the air on Monday.
Biden called for Israel's investigation to be conducted swiftly and said it "must bring accountability" and its findings be made public. He also accused Israel of not doing enough to protect Palestinian civilians. The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations to avoid civilian casualties.
In a video message, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of general staff Herzi Halevi called the incident a "grave mistake" and said "it shouldn't have happened," blaming the strike on misidentification. Humanitarian aid to Gaza is in doubt after WCK, a key provider of aid to the Strip, suspended operations. Three of the killed aid workers were British nationals, while a Polish national, an Australian, a Palestinian, and a dual US-Canadian citizen were also killed. The IDF has promised an independent investigation into the incident.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, calling the situation in Gaza "increasingly intolerable" and demanding a thorough and transparent independent investigation. He added that Israel needed to end restrictions on humanitarian aid and protect civilians.
WCK, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, is one of the main suppliers of aid to Gaza. Four days ago, it said it had served 42 million meals in the territory, dispatching more than 1,700 food trucks and sending close to 435,000 meals by sea. The charity has said it will pause its operations in the region immediately and will be making decisions about the future of its work soon.
More than 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October, according to the US-funded Aid Worker Security Database. Much of the Gaza Strip has been devastated during the Israeli military operations that began after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages. About 130 of the hostages remain in captivity, at least 34 of whom are presumed dead. More than 32,916 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
