By MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Six foreign aid workers who were killed in Israeli airstrikes are being taken out of the Gaza Strip and into Egypt, according to Egyptian state television.
The deadly strikes have led to renewed criticism of Israel’s actions in the nearly 6-month-old war with Hamas and have drawn attention to the dangerous conditions aid workers encounter while trying to deliver food to the besieged enclave, where almost a third of the population is on the brink of starvation. The United States, Canada, and the European Union have labeled Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian, and a Canadian American dual citizen were employed by World Central Kitchen, an international charity created by famous chef José Andrés. The Palestinian driver also died, and his remains were given to his family for burial in Gaza.
The other bodies were taken into Egypt through the Rafah crossing.
The seven individuals were distributing food that had been brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor when Israeli airstrikes targeted their three vehicles late Monday, killing everyone inside.
Israel said it carried out the strikes by mistake and has initiated an investigation.
Some of Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, criticized the deaths, leading the World Central Kitchen and other charities to halt food deliveries due to the severe security situation.
Cyprus, which has played a significant role in establishing the maritime corridor, stated that the ships that arrived on Monday were returning to the Mediterranean island nation with about 240 tons of undelivered aid. However, it also mentioned that the sea deliveries would continue.
Israel is facing increasing isolation as international criticism of its Gaza assault has grown. On the same day as the deadly airstrikes, Israel raised further concerns by apparently attacking Iran’s consulate in Damascus, killing two Iranian generals. The government also took steps to close down a foreign media outlet — Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television.
The attack on the charity’s convoy highlighted what critics have described as Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and lack of concern for civilian casualties in Gaza.
In an op-ed published by Israel’s large Yediot Ahronot newspaper on Wednesday, Andrés wrote that “the Israeli government needs to open land routes to food and medicine today. It needs to stop killing civilians and aid workers today.”
Andrés, whose organization has provided aid in war and disaster zones all over the world, including to Israelis after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, said the strikes “were not just some unfortunate mistake in the fog of war.”
“It was a direct attack on clearly marked vehicles whose movements were known by” the Israeli military. “It was also the direct result of (the Israeli) government’s policy to squeeze humanitarian aid to desperate levels,” Andrés wrote.
Israel has greatly limited access to the northern part of Gaza. Experts believe that a famine is about to happen..
The deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers have threatened to harm the efforts of the U.S. and other countries to open a sea route for aid from Cyprus to relieve the dire situation in northern Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden gave a very direct criticism of Israel, suggesting that the attacks showed that Israel was not doing enough to protect civilians.
He said, 'Events like what happened yesterday should not happen. The United States has repeatedly asked Israel to coordinate their military actions against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties.'
Israel’s military leader, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced the findings of a preliminary investigation on Wednesday morning.
'It was a mistake caused by misidentifying – at night during a war in very complex conditions. It should not have occurred,' he mentioned.
He did not provide more details. He stated that an independent group will carry out a thorough investigation, which will be completed in the next few days.
World Central Kitchen stated that it had arranged with the Israeli military for the movement of its vehicles. Three vehicles moving at large distances from each other were hit in sequence. They were left burned and twisted, indicating multiple targeted strikes.
At least one of the vehicles had the charity’s logo on its roof to make it identifiable from the air, and the weapon made a large hole through the roof. A video showed the bodies at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, with several of them wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo.
Nearly 33,000 Palestinians have died in the war, around two-thirds of them being women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.
The conflict started when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israel reacted with one of the deadliest and most destructive offensives in recent history.
Hamas still holds an estimated 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others, after most of the rest were freed last year in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent months trying to negotiate another truce and release of hostages.
Magdy reported from Cairo.
