UN team receives bodies of WCK foreign aid staffers killed by 'Israel'
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Gaza's Media Office says the bodies of the six foreign aid workers were transferred to Egypt via the Rafah crossing.
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An ambulance carrying bodies of the foreign humanitarian aid workers killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in Gaza crosses the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Wednesday, April 3, 2024 (AP Photo/Ahmed Abudraa)
The Government Media Office in Gaza announced on Wednesday that the bodies of the six members of the World Central Kitchen WCK had been handed over to the United Nations and then transported out of Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.
Seven food aid workers were killed in a triple Israeli strike on their vehicle in Gaza's Deir al-Balah last Sunday. The occupation entity admitted that it was behind the attack, and has received wide condemnation, especially from Western countries, who also demanded an "immediate investigation" into the crime.
However, the United States was not as firm with its remarks, claiming that there is no evidence the entity "deliberately" killed the aid workers, despite the team being struck three consecutive times, each time after they changed the damaged vehicle from the first strike, all during the same 2km trip.
Read more: 'Israel' claims WCK workers killed in error after bombing them 3 times
Six of the killed WCK staffers were foreigners and one from Palestine; 25-year-old Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.
The bodies handed over to the UN included Damian Soból, a 35-year-old from Poland; Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old dual U.S.-Canadian citizen; Lalzawmi Frankcom, a 43-year-old Australian citizen; and three British citizens: John Chapman, 57; James Henderson, 33; and James Kirby, 47.
The WCK announced pausing its humanitarian work in Gaza, and released a statement saying that its "team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle."
Read more: UK condemns WCK aid workers' deaths; Canada calls for probe
"Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.
In a statement, the media office said, "The government teams in Gaza have just finished handing over the bodies of the six foreigners killed by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza. They were on a humanitarian mission as part of the work of the World Central Kitchen organization."
The media office confirmed that the Ministry of Health, the Crossing and Borders Authority, and the government teams in Gaza oversaw the handover of the bodies to representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Subsequently, arrangements were made to transport these bodies out of Gaza through the Rafah border crossing.
Read more: WHO chief condemns killing of foreign aid workers in Gaza
It also reiterated its condemnation "of this heinous crime, which is part of the genocide being carried out by the Israeli occupation against civilians in Gaza," calling on "all free world countries to pressure the occupation to stop the genocide against civilians."
In turn, the European Union described the Israeli forces' killing of members of the World Central Kitchen team in Gaza as "horrific."
The EU demanded "Israel" to conduct a comprehensive investigation and ensure accountability for those responsible for the incident, as well as to allow safe access for humanitarian aid to reach those in need in Gaza.
It also noted that it expects the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution "calling for an immediate ceasefire and measures from the International Court of Justice."
The CEO of the World Central Kitchen said that this crime "is unforgivable."
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war," said Erin Gore.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” he continued.
