PM Rishi Sunak called for an investigation into the deaths of seven aid workers in Gaza during his visit to Northeast England on Tuesday. Despite the aid workers’ location being pre-coordinated with the Israeli Defence Forces, the convoy of the U.S. World Central Kitchen (WCK) was bombed by Israel on Monday.
Sunak emphasized the need for Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law and stressed that there are “clear questions to be answered” regarding the incident. He commended the aid workers for their “fantastic work” in delivering over 100 tons of food aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave and urged Israel to allow humanitarian aid to continue without obstruction.
Furthermore, Sunak revealed that he had expressed concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the high number of civilian casualties in Gaza and called for an “immediate humanitarian pause” to facilitate the release of hostages and increase aid delivery to the region.
The victims of the attack hailed from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Palestine, the United States, and Canada. Following the “targeted attack,” WCK suspended its activities in the region.
Israel’s deadly offensive on Gaza, backed by the UK, has resulted in significant casualties, with approximately 33,000 Palestinians killed and 76,000 injured, including many children and women. The majority of Gaza’s inhabitants are displaced and face severe shortages of food, water, and medicine.
Accusations of genocide against Israel have been brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In a preliminary ruling in January, the ICJ ordered Tel Aviv to cease genocidal acts and to refrain from obstructing international humanitarian aid to Gaza’s civilians. A subsequent ruling at the end of March reiterated the ICJ’s directive for Israel to allow emergency relief services to enter Gaza.
