After long standing support of Israel in its war with Hamas terrorists, President Joe Biden is joining a chorus of world leaders furious over the drone strikes that killed aid workers in Gaza, including one American.
Biden issued a statement claiming Israel ‘has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians’ as thousands of Palestinians are caught in the crosshairs of war and left without food, water and other necessary supplies.
The president called for a ‘swift’ investigation to bring accountability to what he said was not a ‘stand alone incident’.
Israel apologized for what it called ‘a grave mistake’ and said it is investigating the incident.
International outrage ensued after the convoy of aid workers for World Central Kitchen was hit by an Israeli ‘triple tap’ drone strike on Monday, leaving seven dead. The three cars were marked as humanitarian aid and were struck while moving along a route approved by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
President Joe Biden is calling for an investigation and accountability after an Israeli drone strike killed seven aid workers in Gaza on Monday. Dual American-Canadian citizen 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger (right) was among the seven killed in the IDF drone attack
Biden is among the world leaders who want accountability for the deaths.
‘I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday,’ Biden wrote in a strongly-worded statement on the incident. ‘They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.’
The president added: ‘Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers’ vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public.
The American killed in the attack was Jacob Flickinger, 33, who was a dual citizen of Canada.
A GoFundMe fundraiser set up to assist Flickinger’s partner Sandy and their one-year-old son notes that he was an aid worker in Gaza since early March working with World Central Kitchen and prior to that was on a mission with the organization in Mexico.
Money raised through the GoFundMe aims to help Flickinger’s family ‘reestablish themselves after his tragic death.’ It claims Flickinger was the ‘sole financial provider’ and the money will help in setting up a trust for his son, as well as flight and funeral arrangements.
Also among those killed in the strike were three British armed forces veterans who were serving as security for the aid mission – John Chapman, 57, James (Jim) Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.
Additional relief workers who died in the strike were 25-year-old Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha; n Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43; Damian Soból, a 35-year-old from Poland.
People carry the body of one of the foreign workers from World Central Kitchen who was killed in the airstrike as the bodies are transported to their families outside of Gaza
American-Canadian Jacob Flickinger, 33, who was one of the seven victims of the strike
British military veterans James Henderson, 33, (center), John Chapman, 57, (left) and James Kirby, 47, (right) were traveling in the World Central Kitchen aid convoy providing meals to Palestinians on Gaza when they were hit and killed by missiles fired by an IDF drone
Polish World Central Kitchen aid worker Damian Sobol, 35, (left) and n aid worker Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43 (right) were among those killed in the strike in Gaza
Palestinian Saifeddine Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25, was part of the WCK team that was killed in the strike
World leaders from the countries of the deceased have vented their fury at Israel for the ‘outrageous’ drone strike on the World Central Kitchen aid convoy.
Britain summoned the Israeli ambassador to London and demanded ‘full accountability’ over the deaths. The UK government is also considering suspending arms sales to Israel should an investigation reveal wrongdoing, inside sources have reportedly said.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claims 32,000 have been killed in the conflict since the terrorist organization invaded Israel on October 7.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the seven victims in the WCK aid convoy ‘join a record number of humanitarian workers who have been killed in this particular conflict.’
At least 196, including 175 members of the UN staff, aid workers have been killed in Gaza, according to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the strike ‘unconscionable’ but ‘an inevitable result of the way the war is being conducted’.
‘It demonstrates yet again the urgent need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.’
Palestinians inspect a vehicle with the logo of the World Central Kitchen that was wrecked by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip
Poland meanwhile said ‘it does not agree to the lack of compliance with international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers’, and demanded compensation for the families of the killed WCK staff.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said today that both the deadly strike and the Israeli government’s reaction to the incident were straining ties between the two countries.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken a call with Netanyahu, in which said he was appalled by the killings and demanded a thorough and transparent independent investigation.
Experts expect pressure to increase on Israel to bring an end to the bloody war, which has now dragged on for six months.
But Israel continues to state its aims – to eradicate Hamas and bring the remaining hostages home – even as its forces have swept through and destroyed most of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians are standing next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on April 2, 2024, where employees from the World Central Kitchen (WCK), including foreigners, were killed in an Israeli airstrike
Heavily damaged vehicle of the officials working at the US-based international volunteer aid organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK)
WCK said it was mourning the loss of its seven ‘heroes’, naming them on Wednesday as Palestinian Saifeddine Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25; n Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43; Pole Damian Sobol, 35; American-Canadian Jacob Flickinger, 33; and Brits John Chapman, 57, James (Jim) Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.
‘These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission,’ WCK CEO Erin Gore said.
The organization called the strike a ‘targeted attack’ and said its team had been coordinating its movements with the Israeli forces.
‘This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,’ Gore said in an earlier statement.
Gaza has been under Israeli blockade since the start of the war, with the United Nations accusing Israel of preventing humanitarian aid deliveries and warning of ‘catastrophic’ hunger.
World Central Kitchen was facilitating the provision of supplies brought by sea from Cyprus.
President Joe Biden released a statement calling for an investigation into the strike and demanded accountability for the seven killed – including one American
Following the strike, it said it was suspending its operations in the region, deepening concerns about how urgently needed food aid will reach a starving population.
The bloodiest-ever Gaza war erupted when Hamas invaded Israel in an October 7 attack, which resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, which is the largest single-day massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 32,916 people, according to the health ministry in Gaza where Hamas terrorists run the de facto government.
During their attack on Israel, Palestinian militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.