Israel accidentally struck an aid convoy run by the charity group called World Central Kitchen which was providing necessary aid in Gaza killing seven of its members in the Gaza Strip, setting off international outrage. The attack on World Central Kitchen vehicles shows how dangerous relief work has been during the war, and adds fuel to the accusations that Israel has been bombing indiscriminately.

The aid workers a Palestinian, an Australian, a Pole, three Britons and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen were traveling in two armored vehicles marked with the World Central Kitchen logo when they came under fire late Monday night, according to the charity.

United States President Joe Biden has said he is “outraged and heartbroken” by Israel’s killing of seven aid workers in Gaza, delivering some of his strongest criticism yet of Israel. The Biden administration became increasingly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government even while doubling down on the need to supply Israel with weapons. In a statement issued by the White House on Tuesday night, Biden squarely accused Israel of not doing enough to protect innocent civilians in its war against Hamas. “This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed. This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult – because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,” Biden said, describing the deceased aid workers as “brave and selfless”. “Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians. The US has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties.” Biden said an investigation that Israel has promised to carry out into the incident “must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public”. “The United States will continue to do all we can to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, through all available means,” he said. Still Biden continues to say he is “seeking” a ceasefire which is far from what’s happening. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu on Tuesday acknowledged Israel’s responsibility for the attack, describing it as unintended and “tragic”. “Unfortunately, in the past day, there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said in a video statement on Tuesday. “This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.” The three Brits killed were John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and 47-year-old James Kirby. All three worked in WCK’s security team, the organization said. Kirby was a military veteran who had previously served in the British armed forces in Afghanistan and Bosnia, his family said. Adam McGuire, a cousin of Kirby, told Sky News on Wednesday he was “disappointed” in Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response yesterday, in not saying sorry to the individuals,” and that he hoped the deaths of the seven workers would be a “turning point” that caused aid to flow more freely into Gaza. The family of Chapman said in a statement that he will “forever be a hero,” and said their relative

“died trying to help people,”. Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, who at 25 was the youngest of the casualties, and had been volunteering as a driver with WCK. Ahmad Al-Madhoun, a colleague, wrote on Facebook: “I met him during my last visit to the @WCKitchen office. A friend told me that Seif would help solve any problem if you asked him. Seif was full of hope.” He attended university in Ajman, in the United Arab Emirates, and had been living in Dubai, according to his Facebook page. Jacob Flickinger, Samantha Power, the US’ top humanitarian aid official, said the deaths of Flickinger and his colleagues were “deeply alarming,” and President Joe Biden wrote that he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the incident. Biden’s statement included some of the most blunt and direct language he has used towards Israel since the start of the war; the strike raised the frustration for Biden and his top officials to a new level, a senior administration official told CNN. Damian Sobol, Polish authorities confirmed that one of its nationals, Damian Sobol, from the town of Przemysl in southeast Poland, was among those killed. “Yesterday, our colleague, resident of Przemyśl, volunteer, member of the World

Central Kitchen team, Damian Soból, was killed in a rocket attack by Israeli forces on a humanitarian convoy delivering food in the Gaza Strip,” mayor Wojciech Bakun said in a post on social media on Tuesday. “There are no words to describe what people who knew this fantastic boy felt at this moment… May he rest in peace,” the mayor added. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the attack, and said in a post on X that Netanyahu was testing Poland’s solidarity with Israel. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, citing her previous humanitarian efforts. “This is someone who volunteered in Australia to help people during the bushfires. This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza,” Albanese said. Frankcom had worked with WCK since 2019, most recently as a senior manager of its operations in Asia, according to her LinkedIn page. “She was a kind, selfless and outstanding human being that has traveled the world helping others in their time of need. She will leave behind a legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit,” the Frankcom family said in a statement to CNN.

World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore praised all the victims in a statement announcing their identities, saying: “These are the heroes of World Central Kitchen. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss. The world’s loss.” This can lead to aid organizations and workers not coming out to certain parts of the world to supply necessary aid.