The Washington, D.C., activist is one of many members of the nonprofit community mourning the seven World Central Kitchen employees killed in Tuesday's Israeli airstrike.
Brian Weaver, an Adams Morgan-based activist and former advisory district commissioner, spoke to News4 about his friend Zomi Francom, one of the workers who died.
“My heart breaks for my dear friend Zomi Francom, who was killed tonight in an IDF bombing in Palestine,” Weaver said in a social media post. He showed great compassion and action.” She said, “I mourn the loss of a warrior of humanity. But I will raise her standard.”
Francome is an Australian citizen born in Melbourne. But Weaver said she made and kept friends all over the world.
”[She] He was such a wonderful person,” Weaver said. “And when you look at her pictures, she's full of life. That's the problem. Surrounded by so much disaster and pain and sadness, she still sees the world in a positive light and makes a difference. I think it's a rare thing to have someone who thinks they can bring something to the table.”
Weaver, interim manager of Potter's House, a nonprofit cafe and bookstore in Adams Morgan, first met Francom several years ago while on assignment in Guatemala.
“I just… I'm going to miss calling her, texting her, and seeing pictures of her wherever she was in the world at that moment,” Weaver said.
The death of Mr. Francom and six other employees of the U.S.-based World Central Kitchen sparked outrage from Washington, D.C., to Gaza and beyond. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted responsibility for the Israeli military and said the attack was unintentional.
World Central Kitchen said the group affected by the airstrike was moving through the conflict zone and was coordinating actions with Israeli forces.
The group said the group was traveling in two armored vehicles with the World Central Kitchen logo and a third “soft-skin” vehicle (essentially a vehicle without armor). That's what it means.
The convoy came under Israeli airstrike as it departed from a warehouse where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid.
José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen and celebrity chef in Washington, D.C., released a statement on social media.
“These are people…angels…with whom I served in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, and Indonesia,” the statement reads in part. “They are not faceless… They are not nameless. The Israeli government must stop this indiscriminate killing. It must stop restricting humanitarian aid and stop the killing of civilians and aid workers. We need to stop and stop using food as a weapon.”
World Central Kitchen says it has temporarily suspended operations in the area at this time. The Israeli military says it will conduct a thorough investigation at the highest levels to understand how the deadly attack happened.
For now, friends and loved ones of the seven slain aid workers are left wondering and grieving.
“It's a huge loss for me personally, but I think it's an even bigger loss for humanity,” Weaver said.
