World Central Kitchen on Thursday called for an independent investigation into the Israeli military's killing of seven staff members during an aid operation in Gaza this week.
Governments around the world have condemned the killing of workers. They included a man from Gaza, nationals of Australia, the United Kingdom and Poland, and a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “deeply regrets” the military firing on three vehicles carrying aid workers on a coastal road in the Gaza Strip on Monday night. He said Israel would ensure it never happened again.
Israeli army chief of staff Lieutenant General Helj Halevi said on Tuesday that the attack was the result of a misidentification and that the Israeli military had launched an investigation. But World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief organization founded by Spanish chef Jose Andrés, said in a statement Thursday that it is not enough.
“We urge the governments of Australia, Canada, the United States, Poland and the United Kingdom to conduct independent investigations into whether these attacks were intentional or in violation of international law. We ask you to cooperate with our demands,” the group said.
Other Israeli actions in Gaza have prompted similar calls. As an example, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said in February that an independent investigation was needed into the killing of dozens of people as they tried to collect aid after Israeli forces opened fire and riots broke out. . To date, no such investigation has been initiated.
World Central Kitchen also called on Israel to preserve all documents related to the airstrike, pushing back on Prime Minister Netanyahu's claims that the mistake was “a product of war.”
“This was a military attack involving multiple attacks and targeted three WCK vehicles,” the statement said. “All three vehicles were carrying civilians. They were marked as WCK vehicles and their movements were in full accordance with Israeli authorities.”
