Canada condemns Israeli attack on Gaza aid workers, demands investigation
Canada joined several allies, including the United States, Poland and Australia, in calling for a full investigation after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers delivering desperately needed food in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. requested. The workers, including dual Canadian and American citizens, were in a convoy leaving the World Central Kitchen warehouse in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, on Monday night. They had just delivered 100 tons of food transported by boat from Cyprus. World Central Kitchen identified the dual Canadian-U.S. citizen as 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger. The strike was carried out despite extensive efforts to coordinate the movement of World Central Kitchen workers with the Israel Defense Forces, aid groups said in a statement. The attack also killed a British national, an Australian national, a Polish national and three Palestinians. “This is not just an attack on (World Central Kitchen), but on a humanitarian organization in the most dire situations where food is used as a weapon of war,” Erin Gore, CEO of the group, said in an email. It’s an attack.” statement. “This is unacceptable.” Mr. Gore’s group suspended its operations in Gaza following the attack. One image from the scene shows a white truck, with the World Central Kitchen logo clearly visible among the charred wreckage. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said attacking aid workers is “absolutely unacceptable.” “This should never happen and our hearts go out to the families and organizations who are putting their lives at risk to combat the devastating humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Gaza. It hurts,” he said. “There obviously needs to be full accountability and an investigation into this.” Trudeau said there was a need for “clarity” about how the incident happened, adding that “there is no need to respond to the suffering on the ground in Gaza.” He reiterated his call for a ceasefire to prevent further aid workers from being put at risk. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that the IDF carried out an “unintentional attack” that killed “innocent people”. He said authorities were investigating and “will do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again.” More than 200 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the latest round of conflict escalated there in the fall, according to the U.S. Aid Worker Safety Database. On October 7, Hamas, a designated terrorist organization in Canada, launched an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 people, many of whom lived in agricultural communes near the Gaza border. More than 200 hostages were taken, and about 100 are still held captive in Gaza. Netanyahu’s government has vowed to respond with tremendous force and destroy Hamas. More than a million Palestinians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip, and aid agencies have warned that the situation is dire, with access to food and medicine extremely limited. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says more than 32,000 people have been killed in the area since October. World Central Kitchen recently reported that it has set up 68 kitchens across Gaza, providing millions of meals to desperate people. Founded by celebrity chef José Andrés in 2010 in the wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the charity aims to quickly scale up food delivery assistance during natural disasters and wars by providing local support wherever possible. We partner with chefs and restaurants. It is currently working to address armed conflicts in several countries, including Haiti and Ukraine. We often respond quickly after hurricanes and earthquakes. In 2022, we partnered with Canadian restaurants in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador to provide meals to families affected by Tropical Storm Fiona after Tropical Storm Fiona. In mid-March, World Central Kitchen became the first aid organization to deliver aid to Gaza by sea under Israeli security for the first time in more than 20 years. To accomplish this, a makeshift pier had to be built using debris trucked in from around the territory. A second ship left Cyprus on Saturday. The victims were the workers delivering aid supplies. Just a week ago, Lalzaumi Francome, known as Zomi, was on the charity’s X account sharing a video from the same warehouse where she was murdered on Monday. Britain summoned the Israeli ambassador to explain what happened after the deaths of three of its citizens. Poland and Australia also asked Israel for an explanation. It is not clear whether Canada has spoken directly with Israeli officials. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday she was “horrified” by the airstrike. She said her office had not yet been able to contact its Israeli counterpart as of late afternoon. “We condemn these attacks and call for a thorough investigation,” she posted on X. “Canada expects full responsibility for these killings and will convey this directly to the Israeli government.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Paris, said his government had already told the Israeli government “what happened.” “We are calling for a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened.” Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said it disagreed with the idea that the airstrike mistakenly targeted aid workers. “This is not the first time Israel has targeted aid workers or killed humanitarian workers,” said Michael Bueckert, the group’s vice president, and urged Canada to impose sanctions on Israeli leaders. I asked for The group said in a statement that the airstrike was “extremely regrettable” and that “the Israeli government must conduct a thorough investigation and hold accountable those who made the mistake.” It is equally essential.” Efforts to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities. This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2024. With documents from The Associated Press, Canada joined several allies, including the United States, Poland and Australia, in calling for a full investigation on Tuesday. Seven aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed food to the Gaza Strip were killed Monday night in a convoy leaving the World Central Kitchen warehouse in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes hit the Gaza Strip. Seven people died, including a Canadian-American dual citizen. World Central Kitchen had just delivered 100 tons of food shipped by boat from Cyprus, where the Canadian-American dual citizen was arrested by 33-year-old Jacob Frickin. It was identified as Jar. Aid groups said in a statement that three British nationals, an Australian, a Pole and a Palestinian were among those killed, as well as an Israeli Defense Forces kitchen worker. “This is not just an attack on (World Central Kitchen), but on a humanitarian organization in the most dire situations where food is used as a weapon of war,” Erin Gore, CEO of the group, said in an email. It’s an attack.” statement. “This is unacceptable.” Mr. Gore’s group suspended its operations in Gaza following the attack. One image from the scene shows a white truck, with the World Central Kitchen logo clearly visible among the charred wreckage. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said attacking aid workers is “absolutely unacceptable.” “This should never happen and our hearts go out to the families and organizations who are putting their lives at risk to combat the devastating humanitarian crisis currently unfolding in Gaza. It hurts,” he said. “There obviously needs to be full accountability and an investigation into this.” Trudeau said there was a need for “clarity” about how the incident happened, adding that “there is no need to respond to the suffering on the ground in Gaza.” He reiterated his call for a ceasefire to prevent further aid workers from being put at risk. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that the IDF carried out an “unintentional attack” that killed “innocent people”. He said authorities were investigating and “will do everything in our power to prevent something like this from happening again.” More than 200 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the latest round of conflict escalated there in the fall, according to the U.S. Aid Worker Safety Database. On October 7, Hamas, a designated terrorist organization in Canada, launched an attack against Israel, killing 1,200 people, many of whom lived in agricultural communes near the Gaza border. More than 200 hostages were taken, and about 100 are still held captive in Gaza. Netanyahu’s government has vowed to respond with tremendous force and destroy Hamas. More than a million Palestinians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip, and aid agencies have warned that the situation is dire, with access to food and medicine extremely limited. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says more than 32,000 people have been killed in the area since October. World Central Kitchen recently reported that it has set up 68 kitchens across Gaza, providing millions of meals to desperate people. Founded by celebrity chef José Andrés in 2010 in the wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the charity aims to quickly scale up food delivery assistance during natural disasters and wars by providing local support wherever possible. We partner with chefs and restaurants. It is currently working to address armed conflicts in several countries, including Haiti and Ukraine. We often respond quickly after hurricanes and earthquakes. In 2022, we partnered with Canadian restaurants in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador to provide meals to families affected by Tropical Storm Fiona after Tropical Storm Fiona. In mid-March, World Central Kitchen became the first aid organization to deliver aid to Gaza by sea under Israeli security for the first time in more than 20 years. To accomplish this, a makeshift pier had to be built using debris trucked in from around the territory. A second ship left Cyprus on Saturday. The victims were the workers delivering aid supplies. Just a week ago, Lalzaumi Francome, known as Zomi, was on the charity’s X account sharing a video from the same warehouse where she was murdered on Monday. Britain summoned the Israeli ambassador to explain what happened after the deaths of three of its citizens. Poland and Australia also asked Israel for an explanation. It is not clear whether Canada has spoken directly with Israeli officials. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday she was “horrified” by the airstrike. She said her office had not yet been able to contact its Israeli counterpart as of late afternoon. “We condemn these attacks and call for a thorough investigation,” she posted on X. “Canada expects full responsibility for these killings and will convey this directly to the Israeli government.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Paris, said his government had already told the Israeli government “what happened.” “We are calling for a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened.” Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said it disagreed with the idea that the airstrike mistakenly targeted aid workers. “This is not the first time Israel has targeted aid workers or killed humanitarian workers,” said Michael Bueckert, the group’s vice president, and urged Canada to impose sanctions on Israeli leaders. I asked for The group said in a statement that the airstrike was “extremely regrettable” and that “the Israeli government must conduct a thorough investigation and hold accountable those who made the mistake.” It is equally essential.” Efforts to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities. Our condolences go out to those who lost their lives.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2024. — From Associated Press files
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