Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticized Israel’s explanation for the killing of seven international aid workers in Gaza as “not good enough.” The strike on Monday resulted in the death of one Australian, Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, who was among those killed.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the Israel Defense Forces airstrike on three cars carrying humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK), stating: “This happens in war.” Albanese, in response, expressed the need for accountability and criticized statements suggesting the incident was a product of war, emphasizing that it goes against humanitarian law.
Albanese revealed that he had a conversation with Netanyahu, who assured him of Israel’s commitment to conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. Albanese stressed the importance of transparency in the investigation process and urged for the findings to be made public.
The IDF has acknowledged the incident as a “grave mistake” and stated that they did not intend to harm the aid workers. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of staff of the Israeli military, issued an apology for the strike, attributing it to a misidentification.
Among the victims of the strike were individuals from various nationalities, including a dual US-Canada national, a Palestinian, three Brits, a Pole, and Lalzawmi Frankcom, who had been working with WCK since 2019 as a senior manager of its operations in Asia.
