Four aid workers, reportedly including individuals from the UK, Poland, and Australia, along with their Palestinian driver, have tragically lost their lives in what the Hamas-run health ministry claims was an air strike carried out by Israeli forces in Gaza.
According to a Palestinian medical source speaking to the BBC, the aid workers were wearing bullet-proof vests bearing the logo of the World Central Kitchen (WCK).
Expressing grief over the reported deaths, the US-based NGO, WCK, referred to the incident as a “tragedy.”
Israel’s military has stated that it is conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.
The bodies of the aid workers were brought to al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip following the alleged air strike on the coastal road at Deir al-Balah, as reported by a medical source to the BBC.
While details of the incident are still unclear, local journalists have shared online footage and images of passports purportedly belonging to the deceased workers, indicating various nationalities.
In response to the incident, WCK issued a statement acknowledging the reports of their team members being killed in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attack while engaged in humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza.
The organization emphasized that humanitarian aid workers and civilians should never be targeted.
Chef José Andrés, founder of WCK, urged the Israeli government to halt what he termed “indiscriminate killing.”
The IDF, in its statement, expressed commitment to facilitating the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and highlighted its collaboration with WCK in providing food and humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
Australia’s foreign ministry conveyed its distress over reports suggesting the death of an Australian aid worker in Deir al-Balah, stating its urgent efforts to confirm the news.
“We have been very clear that we expect humanitarian workers in Gaza to have safe and unimpeded access to carry out their life-saving work,” emphasized a spokesperson from the Australian foreign ministry.
The UK Foreign Office has been approached for comment.
This version maintains the essence of the original article while ensuring it’s rewritten to avoid plagiarism.
MKU Sends First Group Of Nursing Apprentices To Work In German Partner Hospitals