Seven aid workers were killed Monday in Gaza after delivering 100 tons of food in central Gaza. On Tuesday, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized.
The workers were in a convoy that was hit by Israeli strikes. It is being reported that their vehicles were clearly marked and the workers coordinated their movements with Israeli officials. Netanyahu said he "deeply regrets the tragic incident" as he apologized. Three white vehicles were destroyed - the northernmost and southernmost vehicles were nearly a mile and a half apart.
“There was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said. “We will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”
The workers were part of a group called World Central Kitchen. It is a charity organization that has been helping to alleviate hunger in Gaza. The workers included a Palestinian, an Australian, a Pole, three British citizens, and a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen.
Aid workers in war zones take risks to do their jobs. World Central Kitchen is suspending its operations in Gaza.
It is a tragedy and Netanyahu acknowledged that when he apologized. Other organizations are criticizing the Israeli strikes.
World Central Kitchen was founded in 2010 by chef José Andrés, who has been elevated to celebrity status in recent years. The organization is known for going into areas affected by natural disasters and feeding people. World Central Kitchen works with underserved communities in cities across America. It has also been in Ukraine feeding people during the war.
“These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories.” - Erin Gore, CEO. Read more: https://t.co/4f38RQ1l4I pic.twitter.com/neAsSzKVP5
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024
President Biden joined the critics of Israel on Tuesday. His post on X expressed "outrage" and he said it should never have happened. The deaths of humanitarian workers are tragedies but this is war, Mr. President. You of all people should know that this happens.
Our colleague at Town Hall noted the contrast in Biden's response to the strikes in Gaza and how he acted after the death of a family in a drone attack in Afghanistan.
Context: When news broke that the US had accidentally droned an innocent family to death in Kabul, amid the deadly chaos of Biden’s Afghanistan abandonment, the president went to the beach for the weekend — leaving military officials to make the announcement & deal with the… https://t.co/T5VOuQ3MNT
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 3, 2024
A case can be made that Biden's outrage is convenient. It is unacceptable that the president has moved from a position of moral clarity in his support of Israel in the immediate days after the massacres on October 7, 2023, by Hamas. Since then, as the war continues, Biden has gone wobbly. It is all about politics for him now. Muslim Arab Americans are angry with him over military aid to Israel and they demand an immediate ceasefire. Biden is losing support in states like Michigan and Minnesota.
Britain is demanding an investigation.
The Britons, all ex-marines, were providing security for the marked three-vehicle convoy on Monday as it left Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of food shipped in on a recently established international maritime route from Cyprus.
The convoy was on a designated aid route in a "de-conflicted zone" and WCK had coordinated its movements with the IDF which says the attack was a "tragic" mistake.
Britain summoned the Israeli Ambassador to the Foreign Office for an explanation while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to demand an investigation into what happened.
A Downing Street spokesman said Sunak had told Netanyahu that he was "appalled" by the killing of aid workers, including three Britons, and demanded a "thorough and transparent independent investigation."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized. Netanyahu pledged to investigate. He noted that bad things happen in war.
The European Union's foreign policy chief criticized Israel. Josep Borell condemned the attack.
"Appalled by the killing by the Israeli Defence Forces of seven members of WCK in Gaza. We urge a thorough investigation. Despite all the demands to protect civilians and humanitarian workers, we see new innocent casualties," he wrote on X.
"We recall the Israeli obligation under International Humanitarian Law to protect humanitarian workers."
Today the New York Times published an op-ed written by Chef José Andrés. He lectured Israel on how to conduct the war.
Israel is better than the way this war is being waged. It is better than blocking food and medicine to civilians. It is better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces.
The Israeli government needs to open more land routes for food and medicine today. It needs to stop killing civilians and aid workers today. It needs to start the long journey to peace today.
In the worst conditions, after the worst terrorist attack in its history, it’s time for the best of Israel to show up. You cannot save the hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this war by starving an entire population.
He is grieving the loss of his employees. However, it is not for him to spout Hamas talking points and blame Israel for the war. Hamas is the instigator of the war and is responsible for denying Gazans food, water, and other essential supplies. Israel has opened land routes for aid to come in. Hamas hijacks trucks and holds the goods. To blame Israel for the humanitarian crisis is absurd.
Israel celebrates a culture of life. Hamas is a death cult. Israel goes out of its way to do all it can to protect civilians. This is well-known. Sometimes things go wrong in war. That is unavoidable. Hamas brought this suffering, though, not Netanyahu.
Israel has to be allowed to conduct its war against its evil neighbors. Hamas has to be destroyed to help achieve peace. All of the hostages must be released and accounted for.
Netanyahu is not the bad guy here. He is working to save Israel's existence and the Jewish people. That is not hyperbole. Just listen to the chants of "From the river to the sea." The goal of Hamas and other nefarious actors is to destroy Israel and kill Jews. Hamas is open about that.
Let Israel do what it has to do. Joe Biden is not the leader of Israel. He has no war skills. The disastrous bug-out from Afghanistan is proof. Netanyahu has the steel spine to finish Hamas. It's time for him to be allowed to do that without outside interference from those who are supposed to be his allies.
Shot: Biden attacks Israel for accidentally killing 7 civilians in a drone strike
— John Hasson (@SonofHas) April 3, 2024
Chaser: Biden’s final act in Afghanistan was an airstrike killing 10 civilians, including 7 children pic.twitter.com/xBHVFTvNSt
