Three British Aid Workers Among Seven International World Central Kitchen Volunteers Killed By Israel
Israeli forces hit the convoy as it departed northern Gaza after delivering aid that had arrived hours earlier by sea. (Screengrab via Instagram)
Three British volunteers are among the seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) who were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The volunteers include citizens from Australia, Poland, Palestine, and a dual US-Canada national. They were part of a convoy delivering vital humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Local volunteers recovering the bodies shared images of the international passports found at the scene. (Screengrab via X)
The two armoured cars, clearly marked with the WCK logo, were targeted as they left a warehouse in Deir al-Balah after delivering food aid to northern Gaza from a shipment that arrived hours earlier. Red Crescent paramedic Mahmoud Thabet told the Associated Press the car was hit just after crossing from northern Gaza. The strike has led to the charity to pausing its operations in Gaza temporarily.
In a statement WCK said that its vehicles were travelling in “a deconflicted zone” and “coordinating movements with the IDF.”
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement: “The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
The Australian victim was identified by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as Zomi Frankcom, whose contribution he lauded as “extraordinarily important.” The incident has spurred diplomatic tensions, with Australia demanding full accountability and calling the loss of aid workers “completely unacceptable.”
Chef José Andrés, Michelin-star winning chef and founder of WCK, expressed his grief over the loss and called for an end to “indiscriminate killing.”
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they have initiated a high-level investigation to determine the circumstances leading to the targeted attack. Their statement highlighted the ongoing collaboration with WCK to ensure the safe delivery of aid to Gaza’s besieged population.
UPDATE: This article has been updated to include the more accurate information that three British volunteers were killed in the Israeli strike on the WCK convoy.
