Extract from ABC News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted it was an IDF air strike that killed Australian aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom and six other people in Gaza.
"This happens in wartime. We are thoroughly looking into it, are in contact with the governments [of the foreigners among the dead] and will do everything to ensure it does not happen again," Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement.
He acknowledged that the country's forces had carried out the "unintended strike" on "innocent people in the Gaza Strip".
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday that the killings were "the inevitable result of the way this war is currently being conducted".
Charity organisation World Central Kitchen (WCK) has suspended delivery of vital aid to Gazans on the brink of starvation following the deadly strike.
The charity said the team was travelling in a three-car convoy that included two armoured vehicles, and its movements had been coordinated with the Israeli army.
WCK said the seven killed were from Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom, as well as a dual United States-Canadian citizen and a Palestinian.
Cyprus, which has played a key role in trying to establish a sea route to bring food to the territory, said ships that recently arrived to Gaza were turning back — with some 240 tonnes of undelivered aid.
World Central Kitchen, a food charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, was key to the recently opened sea route, which offered some hope for northern Gaza — where the UN says much of the population is on the brink of starvation, largely cut off from the rest of the territory by Israeli forces.
Mr Andrés — whose charity has operated in several countries wracked by wars or natural disasters, including Israel after the attack that triggered the current conflict — said he was "heartbroken" by the deaths of his colleagues.
"The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
PM demands explanation
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has requested a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the incident.
"We want full accountability for this. This is a tragedy that should never have occurred," Mr Albanese said.
"I didn't have the honour of knowing her, but the sort of values that are shown by someone going into a very dangerous place in order to assist mankind, their fellow humans, it says everything about the character of this young woman," he said.
"This is a tragedy and my sincere condolences and that of the Australian government go to Zomi's family, to her friends and all who knew her."
Britain joined Australia and Poland in demanding action to protect aid workers, underlining Mr Netanyahu's increasing diplomatic isolation over the situation in Gaza.
Poland, which also lost a citizen, objected to the "disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had spoken directly to the Israeli government and "urged a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened".
"These people are heroes, they run into the fire, not away from it," he said of the seven NGO workers.
"We shouldn't have a situation where people who are simply trying to help their fellow human beings are themselves at grave risk."
The Israeli military said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident, and pledged an investigation by "an independent, professional and expert body".
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday that Israel would open a joint situation room with international groups to enable coordination of aid distribution in Gaza with the military, following the strike.
Britain summoned Israel's ambassador in London to express its "unequivocal condemnation of the appalling killing" of the WCK workers, three of whom were British nationals.
Hopes for more aid despite strike
Despite the delivery of aid being paused following the strike, the president of Cyprus said that more aid could be shipped to Gaza from Cyprus before the end of the month, as the US completes construction of a floating pier off the besieged territory’s coastline.
President Nikos Christodoulides vowed that the Gaza aid shipments "will continue as humanitarian needs are there".
Mr Christodoulides said the tragic event "should not discourage us" and that the international community should "double down" on efforts to provide more assistance to Gaza’s civilian population.
He said aid workers "must have full protection" in providing assistance, citing "crystal clear" humanitarian law.
In the last three weeks, WCK in partnership with the United Arab Emirates has sent approximately 500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza from the Cypriot port of Larnaca aboard a barge and two ships on two separate trips.
Cyprus had played a pivotal role in establishing a maritime route to Gaza by offering a fast-track on-island security screening process overseen by Israel. WCK had received funding from the UAE for its maritime food missions.
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the UAE and Cyprus expressed "profound condemnation" over Israel's strike.
Reuters/AP/ABC
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