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RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) – The bodies of six foreign aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike were released Wednesday in their home country, amid further questions surrounding Israel’s explanation that a “misidentification” led to the attack on a convoy. I started my journey back to Japan.
The deadly attack renewed criticism of Israel’s actions. War lasting about 6 months It highlighted the risks military shelling poses to aid workers working with Hamas to deliver food to besieged enclaves.The United Nations estimates that almost a third of Gaza’s population on the brink of starvation.
The three British, Polish, Australian and Canadian-American dual nationals are world central kitchen, an international charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. A Palestinian driver was also killed and his body handed over to his family for burial in Gaza.
Other bodies entered Egypt through the Rafah crossing, according to the Palestinian Border Control Service, which oversees the border crossing.
The seven people were distributing food brought into Gaza through a newly established maritime corridor when Israeli airstrikes targeted three of their vehicles late on Monday. kill everyone inside.
Israeli military commander Lieutenant General Helj Halevi announced the results of the preliminary investigation.
Associated Press correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports that the bodies of six slain aid workers have now left Gaza.
“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in very complicated circumstances. It should not have happened.” He did not elaborate further. He said an independent body would complete a “thorough investigation” within days.
Andres said the attack was “not just an unfortunate mistake in the fog of war.”
“It was a direct attack on a clearly marked vehicle whose movements were known to Israeli forces,” Andres wrote. Editorial Israel’s Yediot Aronot newspaper reported on Wednesday. “This was also a direct result of the (Israeli) government’s policy of throttling humanitarian aid to desperate levels.”
World Central Kitchen said its move was coordinated with the military and the vehicles were marked with the organization’s logo.
Mr. Andres is a Spanish-American chef whose organization provides aid in war and disaster zones around the world, including to post-war Israelis. Hamas’ October 7 attack triggered war“The Israeli government must open land routes to food and medicine today. It must stop killing civilians and aid workers starting today.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Leo Sánchez called Israel’s explanations so far “totally unacceptable and insufficient” and called for “a more detailed explanation of what happened.” He spoke at a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart in Doha. Qatar has played a key role in efforts to broker a ceasefire, along with the United States and Egypt.
Some of Israel’s closest allies condemned the deaths, and World Central Kitchen and other charities suspended food deliveries, citing the dire security situation.
Israeli authorities have not provided details about the mistake.
The military has repeatedly attacked aid vehicles, ambulances, humanitarian organizations’ offices and UN facilities, often justifying attacks by citing suspected extremists. The military says airstrikes are first authorized by legal experts, but critics say they are indiscriminate with little regard for civilian casualties.
More than 180 humanitarian workers have been killed in the conflict, according to the United Nations.
On Tuesday, Israeli television reported that the military had identified a car carrying World Central Kitchen employees and observed suspected extremists nearby, initial findings that have not been officially confirmed. Reported. Half an hour later, the vehicle was attacked by air force. It is not clear who ordered the strike or why, according to reports.
Dr. Maya Zion Tzidkiyahu, an expert on Israeli-European relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the progressive think tank Mitvim Institute, said the military may not have sufficient control over its commanders and soldiers on the ground. said. To take some action with our own hands. They are interpreting the rules of engagement in a more sophisticated way. ”
The international reaction has been “extremely harsh, but understandably so,” she said. “The trust we had after October 7th has already eroded, and now it’s eroded even further.”
Israel faces an increasing sense of isolation amid mounting international criticism of the Gaza attack. On the same day as the deadly airstrike, Israel apparently attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus, stirring up further fear. Killed two Iranian generals.government also moved to close Foreign media, Qatar-owned Al Jazeera TV.
The attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy threatens to slow efforts by the United States and other countries to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to ease the desperate situation in northern Gaza. there were. Israel strictly restricts access to the north. Experts say famine is imminent.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to meet on Thursday, according to a U.S. official with knowledge of the talks’ plans, amid growing frustration in the White House over Israel’s war effort and the fallout from Monday’s airstrike. . The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the call.
Biden issued an unusually blunt criticism of Israel in a statement Tuesday, expressing anger over the attack and saying Israel was “not doing enough to protect aid workers.”
Meanwhile, attacks on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on Monday, which the US assesses were carried out by Israel, increased Fear of wider conflict. Twelve people were killed in this strike.
General Ramazan Sharif, a spokesman for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards, said on Wednesday that “we will soon see more deadly blows” against Israel by the “resistance front.”
He appeared to be referring to Iran and its allies across the region, including the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and militias in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. They have engaged in repeated gun battles with Israel and the United States since the war in Gaza began.
Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewicz, the top U.S. air force commander in the Middle East, said Wednesday that the U.S. warned that the attack on Damascus could prompt new attacks on U.S. forces by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. He said he was concerned.
According to reports, about 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids in the Gaza Strip, about two-thirds of them women and children. Territorial Ministry of Healththat count does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Hamas attack on October 7 left about 1,200 people dead and about 250 hostages.
Hamas still holds an estimated 100 hostages and about 30 bodies after most of the others were released last year in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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For more information on AP coverage, please visit: https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
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