Australia to appoint'special adviser' to investigate deadly air strike by Israel

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The Australian government, which feels that the response to date has been insufficient, will name a "special adviser" to ensure a comprehensive investigation into the Israeli air strike that killed several aid workers, including an Australian woman. Australia has received a briefing from Israel regarding its expeditious probe into the assault on an aid convoy in Gaza that resulted in the deaths of Australian Zomi Frankcom and six other employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK). The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) declared on Friday night Australian time that it had fired two officers for the strike, citing a violation of its rules of engagement.

On Monday, while travelling along a pre-approved and coordinated route south of Deir al-Balah with the IDF, three WCK vehicles were hit by Israeli drones.

In a statement from WCK said the IDF has acknowledged its responsibility and its fatal errors in the deadly attack on our convoy in Gaza. It is also taking disciplinary action against those in command and committed to other reforms. These are important steps forward.

Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families.

The root cause of the unjustified rocket fire on our convoy is the severe lack of food in Gaza. Israel needs to dramatically increase the volume of food and medicine traveling by land if it is serious about supporting humanitarian aid.

Food is a universal human right. WCK is proud to have fed families across Israel after October 7, and we continue to demand the release of all hostages.. At the same time, we believe Palestinian families have the same universal right to food, water and medicine. We know Israelis, deep down, share the same values.

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“We demand the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of our WCK colleagues. The IDF cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.” The statement added.

“It’s not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths, which have now approached close to 200,” said WCK founder José Andrés. “All civilians need to be protected, and all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe. And all hostages must be released.”

“Their apologies for the outrageous killing of our colleagues represent cold comfort,” said WCK CEO Erin Gore. “It’s cold comfort for the victims’ families and WCK’s global family.”Israel needs to take concrete steps to assure the safety of humanitarian aid workers. Our operations remain suspended.

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