Israel bombards Gaza City; Hamas leader visits Cairo in bid to salvage ceasefire talks
Australian PM confirms aid worker killed in Gaza strike was Australian national
2:01 CAT | 02 Apr 2024
FILE - Australian World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, who was among the WCK employees, including foreigners, killed in an Israeli airstrike according to the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, while the Israeli military, commenting on the reports, said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident, is seen at what is said to be a WCK kitchen, in a location given as Deir Al-Balah, in this screengrab from a video released March 25, 2024. [File photo: World Central Kitchen/Handout via Reuters]
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday confirmed one of several aid workers killed in a strike on Gaza was an Australian national.
Albanese said volunteer Zomi Frankcom had been doing “extraordinarily valuable work” helping distribute food in the besieged Gaza Strip with aid outfit World Central Kitchen.
“This is completely unacceptable. Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers,” Albanese said, before offering his “sincere condolences” to Frankcom’s family.
“I didn’t have the honour of knowing her,” he added.
“She just wanted to help out through this charity. That says everything about the character of this young woman.”
The bodies of four foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver were brought to a hospital in the town of Deir el-Balah after an Israeli strike targeted their vehicle, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
World Central Kitchen is one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat from Cyprus.
Australia will be seeking an explanation from Israeli officials, Albanese said.
“We want full accountability for this, because this is a tragedy that should never have occurred.”
The Israeli military has said it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident”.
Source: AFP
Show comments
Also read
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.