Israel airstrike on Gaza kills seven working for celebrity chef's NGO

Citizens from Australia, Britain and Poland were among seven people working for celebrity chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in central Gaza on Monday, the NGO said.

The workers, who also included Palestinians and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, were traveling in two armored cars emblazoned with the WCK logo and another vehicle, the charity said in a statement.

Video obtained by Reuters showed a large hole in the roof of a four wheel drive WCK vehicle and its burned and torn interior, as well as paramedics moving bodies into a hospital and displaying the passports of three of those killed.

Israel has long denied it is hindering the distribution of urgently needed food aid in Gaza, saying the problem is caused by the inability of international aid groups to get it to those in need.

Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli Defence Force, the convoy was hit as it was leaving its Deir al-Balah warehouse, after unloading more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea, WCK said.

"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," said Erin Gore, chief executive of World Central Kitchen.

"This is unforgivable."

Israel pledges 'independent' investigation

The Israeli military said it was doing a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident and pledged an investigation by "an independent, professional and expert body."

"The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," the military said.

Israel has been under mounting international pressure to alleviate the severe hunger in Gaza, which has been devastated by months of fighting that has laid waste to much of the enclave and forced most of the population from their homes.

The United Nations and other international groups have accused Israel of hindering aid distribution with bureaucratic obstacles and failing to ensure the security of food convoys, underlined by a disaster on February 29 in which around 100 people were killed as they waited for an aid delivery.

Last week, the World Court ordered Israel to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the enclave's Palestinian population and halt spreading famine.

In response, Israeli officials accused the United Nations and other international bodies of "failure" over the problems in getting aid to hungry people in Gaza, saying they lack the logistical capacity to perform their jobs.

Andres, who started WCK in 2010 by sending cooks and food to Haiti after an earthquake, earlier said he was heartbroken and grieving for the families and friends of those who died.

"The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing," he said on social media.

"It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now."

'Disregard for international humanitarian law'

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of 44-year-old aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom and said his government had contacted Israel to demand those responsible be held accountable.

"This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, that is completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and proper accountability," he told a press conference on Tuesday.

Poland, which also lost a citizen, issued a statement objecting to the "disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, visiting the Jabal el-Hussein camp for Palestinian refugees in Amman, said "I hope and demand that the Israeli government clarifies as soon as possible the circumstances of this brutal attack that has taken the lives of seven aid workers who were doing nothing more than helping.

"It is urgent that Israel allow access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, as demanded by various international bodies, including the International Court of Justice," Sanchez added, noting that the ICJ's rulings were binding.

British foreign minister David Cameron called the deaths "deeply distressing" and called on Israel to investigate and provide an explanation.

"British nationals are reported to have been killed, we are urgently working to verify this information and will provide full support to their families," Cameron said on X.

"It is essential that humanitarian workers are protected and able to carry out their work. We have called on Israel to immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened."

Cyprus's president also called for an immediate probe into the strike, saying the WCK charity was a "crucial partner" in the country's initiative to get aid to the enclave by sea.

"We need to double down on efforts to get aid to Gaza," Nikos Christodoulides said, after a meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.

"We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike that killed @WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza," U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said on social media.

"Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened."

WHO: Hospital destruction 'rips the heart out' of health system

Israel's destruction of Gaza's biggest hospital in a raid over the past two weeks has ripped the heart out of the enclave's healthcare system, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

Israeli forces left Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Monday after the two-week operation by special forces, who detained hundreds of suspected Palestinian militants and left a wasteland of destroyed buildings. Israel said it killed hundreds of Hamas fighters who had based themselves there; Hamas and medical staff deny fighters were present.

"We've had contact with the staff. The directors told us that Al Shifa Hospital is gone. It's no longer able to function in any shape or form as a hospital," said WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris.

"Destroying Al Shifa means ripping the heart out of the health system."

The WHO is hoping to send a mission on Tuesday to the site to see what it can do to save the lives of the remaining patients. Harris said she did not have information about whether Israel had granted permission to carry out such a mission.

"We've been trying to go for days and days and days," she said. "Most of our missions were rejected."

Al Shifa, the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital before the war, was one of the few healthcare facilities that had been partially operational in the north of the enclave before the raid.

Palestinian officials called the assault on a hospital treating severely wounded patients a war crime. Israel says Hamas deliberately operates among vulnerable civilians.

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