UK condemns WCK aid workers' deaths; Canada calls for probe
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The UK Foreign Office released a statement outlining the government's firm stance on the targeted killing and stressed the need for accountability.
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People inspect the site where World Central Kitchen workers were killed in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, April 2, 2024 (AP)
In response to the targeted killing of seven foreign aid workers in Gaza, including three UK nationals, the UK Foreign Ministry has summoned the Israeli Ambassador to express the government's unequivocal condemnation.
The UK Foreign Office released a statement outlining the government's firm stance on the targeted killing and stressed the need for accountability. UK Foreign Minister David Cameron said he directly communicated with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to convey the gravity of the situation.
"We have called on Israel to immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened," Cameron said in a tweet.
"I spoke with Israeli FM @Israel_Katz to underline that the deaths of @WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza, including three British Nationals, are completely unacceptable," Cameron said in a separate tweet.
I spoke with Israeli FM @Israel_Katz to underline that the deaths of @WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza, including three British Nationals, are completely unacceptable.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) April 2, 2024
Israel must urgently explain how this happened & make major changes to ensure safety of aid workers on the ground.
Meanwhile, Canada has also condemned the Israeli strike that resulted in the killing of the aid workers.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she anticipates "full accountability" for the killings and that strikes on aid workers were "absolutely unacceptable".
1/2 I am horrified to hear reports of the IDF strike taking the lives of 7 World Central Kitchen employees in Gaza yesterday, including a Canadian citizen.
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) April 2, 2024
Read more: Poland to investigate WCK aid worker's murder in Gaza
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.
The aggression sparked a wave of condemnation across the world.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjourné condemned the attack on the workers and said that it "is a moral and legal imperative that everyone must adhere to."
He added that "nothing justifies such a tragedy."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken who was alongside Séjourné when the remarks were delivered did not condemn the attack.
However, he did call for "Israel" to take more proactive measures in protecting innocent civilian lives and urged for an investigation to be launched.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed outrage over the killing and called for the sustained protection of humanitarian workers across Gaza.
