The Israeli attack that caused the death of seven humanitarian aid NGO workers World Central Kitchen (WCK), on Tuesday (2), provoked a strong international reaction and increased the isolation of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which is also facing protests on the streets of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. In addition to Palestinian citizens, the attack also killed aid workers from the US, Canada, Poland, the United Kingdom and Australia.
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The command of the Israeli Army classified the bombing of a convoy of humanitarian workers as a “serious error”, this Wednesday (3), after Netanyahu stated on Tuesday that this type of situation “happens in wars”. According to a statement from the Israeli army, the attack occurred due to a “misidentification” of humanitarian aid vehicles.
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In response to Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi’s statement that the attack had no “intention to target humanitarian workers”, WCK founder José Andrés points out that “it was not an unfortunate mistake”, but ” direct result of the policy of reducing humanitarian aid to desperate levels.”
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WCK suspended activities in the region following the attack. Around 240 tons of aid not delivered to its ships off the coast of Gaza will be returned to Cyprus, a spokesperson for that country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Associated Press.
An investigation of the Al Jazeera points out that the attacks by the Israeli military were intentional. Based on open source information, witness statements and images from the scene, the agency built a timeline of events.
“Images taken from the bombing sites show that the vehicles were clearly marked on their roofs and windshields as WCK, indicating that they were in compliance and that there was prior coordination between the WCK and the Israeli army regarding the movements. Images of the second and third targeted vehicles showed signs of a projectile entering from above and exiting from below, suggesting that the cars were targeted from the air.”
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The president of the United States, Israel’s main political and military ally, joined the chorus of criticism against the attack on Tuesday night (2). In a statement, Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” and said Israel was not doing enough to protect aid workers and civilians and called the conflict “one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers were killed”.
“This is one of the main reasons why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult, because Israel does not do enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed aid to civilians. Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.”
Pope Francis also condemned the attack on Tuesday. “I express deep regret for the volunteers killed while involved in distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza. I pray for them and their families,” he said. Francis renewed his call for an “immediate” ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all prisoners held by Hamas and full access to humanitarian aid, while warning against the “irresponsible” expansion of the conflict.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night and said he was “horrified.” Three British citizens are among the victims of the Israeli attack.
“So many aid workers and innocent civilians have lost their lives in Gaza, the situation is becoming unbearable,” Sunak said in an official government statement. “The UK hopes to see immediate action from Israel to end restrictions on humanitarian aid, resolve conflicts with the UN and aid agencies, protect civilians and repair vital infrastructure such as hospitals and water networks.”
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly called for a full investigation into the murder of the workers, which killed a Canadian citizen. “We condemn these attacks and call for a full investigation. Canada expects all those responsible for these deaths to be brought to justice and we will report this directly to Israel,” she said. Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers, Joly stated that “attacks against humanitarian personnel are totally unacceptable.” In January of this year, the Canadian minister suspended export licenses for military equipment and technology to Israel.
Australia also said Israel must be held accountable for the attack on WCK aid workers in the Gaza Strip.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez demanded that Israel clarify “the brutal attack” against the NGO. In his first speech during his visit to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he called for a definitive cessation of hostilities and the release of all hostages.
“It is urgent that the ceasefire demanded by the UN Security Council last week with a mandatory mandate is fulfilled. Furthermore, it is essential that it is permanent”, he stressed.
Sánchez stated that “Spain has always defended the two-state solution” and that this implies both “the recognition of the Palestinian State” and “the full recognition of Israel” by Arab countries that have not yet done so.
Editing: Rodrigo Durão Coelho
