Zomi Frankcom, a 43-year-old aid worker of Indian descent with the World Central Kitchen, was among the six international aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese demanded full accountability and condemned the tragic incident, which also claimed the life of their Palestinian driver.
Frankcom, born to an Australian father and a Mizo mother, was on a humanitarian mission to provide aid to the war-torn northern Gaza when the convoy she was travelling in came under fire late Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the Israeli forces’ involvement in the strike, expressing regret over the unintended loss of innocent lives. He pledged to take measures to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
“Unfortunately over the last day there was a tragic incident of an unintended strike of our forces on innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” he said adding that officials “will do everything for this not to happen again”.
The World Central Kitchen, founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, announced the immediate suspension of operations in the region following the incident.
Condemning the attack, the organisation stated, “Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.”
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said WCK CEO Erin Gore.
Among the seven killed were individuals from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and Palestine.
