Calls increase for Israeli accounting for Gaza airstrike
More calls came Thursday for Israel to account for its airstrike on a convoy in Gaza that killed seven aid workers from World Central Kitchen.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were expected to speak Thursday in their first phone call since the attack.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Wednesday Israel needs better measures in place to protect humanitarian workers and civilians.
World Central Kitchen said Thursday it asked Australia, Britain, Canada, Poland and the United States to demand "an independent, third-party investigation into these attacks, including whether they were carried out intentionally or otherwise violated international law."
Those killed in Monday's attack included a Palestinian, three British citizens, a Polish citizen, an Australian and a Canadian-American dual citizen.
Bodies of foreign aid workers killed in Israeli airstrike moved toward repatriation
"An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers," World Central Kitchen said in a statement.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters Thursday that Israel's response has not been good enough, "including that this is just a product of war."
"International humanitarian law makes it very clear that aid workers should be able to provide that aid and that assistance free of the threat of losing their life," Albanese said.
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a news conference Thursday that Poland expects an explanation about what happened as well as compensation for the families of the victims.
Britain demands investigation into Israeli airstrike that killed aid workers
The Pentagon said U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "expressed his outrage at the Israeli strike" during a phone call Wednesday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
"Secretary Austin stated that this tragedy reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid," Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.
Austin also cited the need to rapidly increase the amount of aid entering Gaza in coming days, "particularly to communities in northern Gaza that are at risk of famine," Ryder said.
Israel's armed forces chief, Herzi Halevi, called the attack a 'grave mistake,' which he blamed on nighttime 'misidentification."
Netanyahu has pledged the 'tragic case' would be investigated 'right to the end."
The Hamas October attack on Israel killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and led to the capture of about 250 hostages.
Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza has killed at least 33,037 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. The Israeli military says one-third of those killed have been militants.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
