France condemns Israeli attack on WCK aid workers in Gaza

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
2 Apr 2024 17:42
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The seven charity workers who were killed hailed from Australia, Poland, the UK, and Palestine, along with a dual citizen of the US and Canada.

Secretary Blinken holds a joint press availability with French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné in Paris, France (Screengrab)

At a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné and US counterpart US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced opposition to the recent attack that claimed the lives of seven foreign aid workers in Gaza.

"Protecting humanitarian workers is a moral and legal imperative that everyone must adhere to," Séjourné said, adding, "Nothing justifies such a tragedy."

The workers were part of a US-based charity organization called World Central Kitchen and were sent on a mission to deliver food to civilians in the Strip.

They were killed inside their vehicle by a targeted Israeli airstrike despite being in a deconflicted zone and there being coordinating movement with the Israeli army.

Echoing France's sentiment, Secretary Blinken called for "Israel" to take more proactive measures in protecting innocent civilian lives.

"Israel should do more to protect innocent civilian lives," urged Blinken.

He further urged for a swift and impartial investigation into the matter, while also stressing the need for accountability and transparency in determining the circumstances surrounding the aggression.

"We spoke directly to the Israeli authorities (...), we urged them to carry out a rapid and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened," Blinken said.

The seven charity workers who were killed hailed from Australia, Poland, the UK, and Palestine, along with a dual citizen of the US and Canada.

Aggression on Iran Consulate in Damascus

Elsewhere in his remarks, Blinken said that Washington is gathering details of the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus and is convinced that neither "Israel" nor the other parties wish to see an escalation of the conflict.

The aggression, which occurred on April 1, claimed the lives of seven high-rank IRGC advisors.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed the US and "Israel" for the aggression. However, the US dismissed the accusation, saying it had "no involvement" in the attack.

Axios reported that a few minutes before "Israel" launched the strike on the consulate, it informed the Biden administration without asking for a US green light.

Not only did "Israel" not include any details in its heads-up to the US, like sharing that it was going to bomb a building in the Iranian embassy compound, but the Israeli occupation jets were also already in the air when that piece of information was received by the US, according to the Axios report.