Canadian among 7 aid workers killed by Israeli strike while delivering food in Gaza

A dual citizen of Canada and the United States was among seven international aid workers killed by an Israeli airstrike while delivering food in central Gaza for the charity group World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Monday.

A statement said the workers were hit as they were travelling in two armoured cars marked with the WCK logo and another vehicle on Monday. The team was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse after unloading more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea, WCK said.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the Israel Defense Forces carried out the "unintended strike," which killed "innocent people."

In a video statement, he said officials are investigating and "will do everything for this not to happen again."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the attack on aid workers is "absolutely unacceptable."

"This is something that never should have happened, and we are heartbroken for the families and for the organization that has been putting people in harm's way to counter the extraordinarily devastating humanitarian crisis going on in Gaza right now," he said.

"We obviously need full accountability and investigation in this."

Footage showed the bodies of the dead at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Several of them wore protective gear with the charity's logo. The dead also included a Palestinian, as well as citizens from Britain, Australia and Poland, according to a WCK statement.

'This is unforgivable'

Despite co-ordinating movements with the Israel Defence Forces, WCK said, the convoy was hit as it was leaving its Deir al-Balah warehouse.

"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, chief executive of World Central Kitchen.

"This is unforgivable."

The Israeli military said it was doing a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the incident would be investigated in the "fact finding and assessment mechanism," which his statement called an "independent, professional, and expert body" without giving details.

He said he had spoken to WCK's founder, celebrity chef José Andrés, and expressed deepest condolences.

"We also express sincere sorrow to our allied nations who have been doing and continue to do so much to assist those in need," he said in the statement.

Andrés, who started WCK in 2010 by sending cooks and food to Haiti after an earthquake, earlier said he was heartbroken and grieving for the families and friends of those who died.

"The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing," he said in an Instagram post.

"It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now."

Pausing operations in Gaza

WCK said it was pausing its operations in the region immediately and would make decisions soon about the future of its work.

Mahmoud Thabet is a Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic who was on the team that brought the bodies to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. He told The Associated Press the aid workers were in a three-car convoy that was crossing out of northern Gaza when an Israeli missile hit.

WATCH l World Central Kitchen did 'passionate, heartfelt, selfless' work, UNICEF rep says:

Thabet said he was told by WCK staff that they had been in the north, co-ordinating distribution of newly arrived aid and were heading back to Rafah in the south.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths and that his government was working to confirm the details of the Britons affected. Sunak called on Israel to "investigate what happened urgently."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom and said his government had contacted Israel to demand those responsible be held accountable.

"This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, that is completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and proper accountability," he said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Albanese said innocent civilians and those doing humanitarian work need to be protected and reiterated his call for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza along with more aid to help those suffering from "tremendous deprivation."

The Polish government identified Damian Sobol as their citizen killed in the airstrike.

Hamas, which has governed Gaza since 2007, said the attack on WCK staff by Israel aimed to "terrorize" workers of international humanitarian agencies and deter them from pursuing their missions.

WATCH | Chef José Andrés on delivering food, medicine to Gaza:

Group transported food from Cyprus

A flotilla of three aid ships organized by WCK, along with the non-profit organization Open Arms and the United Arab Emirates, arrived in Gaza from Cyprus earlier Monday carrying some 400 tons of food and supplies — the group's second shipment after a pilot run last month.

The U.S. has touted the sea route as a new way to deliver desperately needed aid to northern Gaza, where the UN has said much of the population is on the brink of starvation.

WCK said last month it had served more than 42 million meals in Gaza over 175 days.

In a previous post from Monday on X, the WCK said its teams mobilize across Gaza daily to distribute food to displaced Palestinians.

"Our 60+ kitchens in southern and central Gaza are cooking hundreds of thousands of meals each day like this mujadara, a comforting dish of rice, lentils, and caramelized onions," it said.

Israel has barred UNRWA, the main UN agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north, citing the involvement of some UNRWA staff in the October 7 attacks on Israel. Other aid groups say sending truck convoys into northern Gaza has been too dangerous.

The UN-backed global authority on food security warned last month that famine was likely to occur by May in northern Gaza and could spread across the enclave of 2.3 million people by July.

WATCH | First ship delivers food aid to Gaza since start of war: 

Israel declared war on Hamas following the Oct. 7 militant attacks that saw 1,200 people killed and some 250 kidnapped, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli government believes some 130 captives remain in Gaza, but some officials have said at least 31 hostages are dead.

A total of 32,916 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during Israel's military response since then, health officials in the territory say, most of them women and children.