Australian aid worker killed in Israeli strike on Gaza
An Australian aid worker is among five employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) non-governmental organisation killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza, accoring to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.
Those killed in the incident in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah included citizens of Poland, Australia and Britain, as well as one Palestinian, a spokesman for the media office said.
“We are aware of reports that members of the World Central Kitchen team have been killed in an IDF attack while working to support our humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza,” WCK posted on X.
“This is a tragedy. Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should NEVER be a target. EVER.”
Commenting on the reports, the Israeli military said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this “tragic” incident.
“The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the military statement said.
The WCK delivers food relief and prepares meals for people in need. It said last month it had served more than 42 million meals in Gaza over 175 days.
Earlier Israeli forces withdrew from Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City after a two-week operation by special forces who detained hundreds of suspected Palestinian militants and left a wasteland of destroyed buildings.
With access to Gaza’s biggest hospital severely restricted, the Israeli and Palestinian versions differed sharply.
Palestinian officials called the raid on a hospital treating severely wounded patients a war crime, while Israeli officials said special forces units conducted a targeted strike against a Hamas stronghold deliberately located among vulnerable civilians.
AAP
