London, Apr. 4, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – The World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity has said it is calling for an âindependent investigation into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) strikes that killed seven membersâ of its team in Gaza on Monday.
British victims John Chapman, 57, James âJimâ Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, were among the seven who died in the attack.
WCKâs chief executive officer Erin Gore and executive co-chairman/treasurer Javier Garcia said in a joint statement: âOn April 1, 2024, the [IDF] killed seven humanitarian aid workers employed by World Central Kitchen (WCK), an internationally recognized humanitarian organization.
âThe aid workers killed were nationals of Australia, Canada/US (dual citizen), Gaza, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Israel has admitted to the killings but called it a âa tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants and something that âhappens in warâ.
âThis was a military attack that involved multiple strikes and targeted three WCK vehicles. All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission.â
The statement asked the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States of America, Poland, and the United Kingdom to join them in a third-party investigation into the attacks and âwhether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law.â
The charity said it has asked the Israeli government to immediately keep all documents, communications, video and audio recordings relevant to the strikes.
âAn independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers,â the statement added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the attack as unintended and âtragicâ and pledged an independent inquiry.