World Central Kitchen calls for independent investigation into Israeli air strike

Charity urges the U.K., U.S., and other nations to participate in the third-party inquiry into the Israeli military’s drone strike

Humanitarian food organization World Central Kitchen has urged an autonomous and equitable inquiry into the Israeli air strike that claimed the lives of seven of its aid workers, including three British nationals, in Gaza Monday.

World Central Kitchen issued a statement on Thursday morning urging the governments of Australia, Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Poland – the countries from which six of the workers originated – to join a third-party investigation into the drone assault on the charity’s convoy.

The investigation must ascertain “whether (the drone strikes) were carried out deliberately or breached international law in any other way,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

‘Attack, not an accident’

Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, stated that the assault on the aid convoy, contrary to Israel’s assertions, was “not an unfortunate mistake.”

Andres stressed that the killing of WCK workers was not a ‘mistake’ or ‘accident.’

He also pointed out that Israelis were cognizant of the movements of aid workers during the attack: “Even if we were not in coordination with the Israeli Army during the attack, no democratic country and army can target civilians and aid workers.”

Andres also recalled that Israel knew the aid convoy was on that route.

The Israeli military expressed “deep sorrow” over the incident, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contended that the attack was not intentional. Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog also regretted the attack.

The organization stated that seven of its workers, including a Palestinian driver, were killed by a sustained drone barrage against their marked convoy, after unloading 100 tonnes of food aid from a barge on April 1.

Source: Newsroom