By MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The bodies of six foreign aid workers who died in Israeli air attacks have started the journey back to their home countries on Wednesday, as they were moved out of Gaza and into Egypt, announced Egyptian state television.
The lethal strikes have led to more criticism of Israel’s behavior in the nearly 6-month-long war with Hamas and have shown the dangerous conditions aid workers encounter in trying to deliver food to the besieged area, where nearly a third of the population is on the verge of starvation . Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the United States, Canada and the European Union.The three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian American dual citizen were employed by
World Central Kitchen , an international charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. Their Palestinian driver was also killed, and his remains were handed over to his family for burial in Gaza.The other bodies were taken into Egypt via the Rafah crossing.
The seven 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 that it has launched an investigation..
Some of Israel’s closest allies, including the United States, denounced the deaths, which led the World Central Kitchen and other charities to halt food deliveries, citing the dire security situation.
Cyprus, which has played a key role in setting up the maritime corridor, said the ships that arrived Monday were returning to the Mediterranean island nation with some 240 tons of undelivered aid. But it also said the sea deliveries would continue.
Israel faces growing isolation as international criticism of its Gaza assault has mounted. On the same day as the deadly airstrikes, Israel stirred more fears by apparently striking Iran’s consulate in Damascus,
killing two Iranian generals . The governmentalso moved to shut down a foreign media outlet — Qatari-owned Al Jazeera television. The hit on the charity’s convoy emphasized what critics have described as Israel’s indiscriminate bombing and lack of concern for civilian casualties in Gaza.
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.”
In an op-ed 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 heavily limited entry to the northern part of Gaza, where
experts are warning that a severe food shortage is about to happen. The deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers have endangered the efforts of the U.S. and other countries to open a sea route for aid from Cyprus to help improve the desperate situation in northern Gaza..
U.S. President Joe Biden gave a very direct criticism of Israel, its closest ally, implying that the attacks showed Israel was not doing enough to protect civilians.
He said, “Things like what happened yesterday should not happen. The United States has consistently urged Israel to coordinate their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations to prevent civilian casualties.”
Israel’s military leader, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, announced the initial findings of an investigation early Wednesday.
He said, “It was a mistake that happened because of a misidentification— at night during a war in very complicated conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.”
He did not provide more details. He stated that an independent group would carry out a “thorough investigation” which would be finished in the next few days.
World Central Kitchen stated that it worked with the Israeli military on the movement of its vehicles. Three vehicles moving at large distances from each other were hit in a row. They were left burned and mangled, indicating multiple targeted strikes.
At least one of the vehicles had the charity’s logo printed on its roof to make it recognizable from the air, and the bombs made a large hole through the roof. A video showed the bodies at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, several of them wearing protective gear with the charity’s logo.
Nearly 33,000 Palestinians have died in the war, with around two-thirds of them being women and children, according to
Gaza’s Health Ministry , which does not differentiate between civilians and fighters in its count.The conflict started when Hamas-led terrorists entered southern Israel in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. Israel reacted with one of the deadliest and most devastating offensives in recent history.
Hamas still has an estimated 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others, after most of the others were released last year in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been working for months to negotiate another truce and the release of hostages.
Magdy reported from Cairo.
According to Egyptian state media, the bodies of six foreign aid workers killed in a series of Israeli strikes have been taken out of the Gaza Strip before being sent back to their home countries.
