The United States, Israel’s closest ally, said there was no evidence that Israel deliberately tried to target aid workers, but that it was outraged by the deaths and that Israel had an obligation to ensure that aid workers were not harmed in Gaza.
The White House said it expects a comprehensive and impartial investigation to be conducted with appropriate accountability.
“These people are heroes, they run toward the fire, not away from it,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the seven aid workers, speaking to reporters in Paris. “We shouldn’t have a situation where people who are simply trying to help other human beings are putting themselves at serious risk.”
Israel has long denied that it is hindering the distribution of urgently needed food aid in Gaza, saying the problem is caused by the inability of international aid groups to get it to those in need.
Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it left its depot in Deir al-Balah after unloading more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea, the NGO said.
“This is not just an attack on WCK, but an attack on the humanitarian organizations that find themselves in the most dire situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” said Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen.
Tags: Israel airstrike killed aid workers Gaza mistake allies demand explanations
