Biden condemns Israel for the death of WCK workers in Gaza and demands an investigation
U.S. President Biden criticizes Israel for an airstrike in Gaza and calls for a thorough investigation of the death of WCK workers
As a result of an airstrike in Gaza, seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed, including one American.
This incident has led to sharp criticism from U.S. President Joe Biden towards Israel, as reported by the White House website.
Biden expressed his outrage and deep sorrow over the incident and demanded that Israel conduct a rapid and thorough investigation to hold those responsible accountable and to publish the investigation results.
The President emphasized the need to protect civilians and insisted on a ceasefire as part of the hostage release agreement, pointing out Israel's insufficient efforts in this direction.
WCK workers were in two armored vehicles and became victims of the strike as they were leaving a warehouse where they had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid shipped to Gaza. Among the dead were citizens of Australia, Britain, and Poland.
Biden's statement was part of a broad international reaction that included condemnation of the airstrike by leading world leaders, such as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez
It is worth noting that the airstrike in Gaza, which resulted in the death of seven members of the World Central Kitchen, an American humanitarian group, was a result of an erroneous action by the Israeli armed forces.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Herzi Ha-Levi, the head of the Israeli Defense Forces General Staff, the incident occurred due to a misidentification during a night-time combat operation, stressing that the losses among humanitarian workers were not intentional.
The military's press service confirmed that such actions were inappropriate and expressed regret about the incident.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the situation as a tragic mistake and assured that measures would be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Daniel Hagari, the IDF General Staff's press secretary, added that the incident would be examined by an independent military body to minimize the risk of similar errors repeating.
Previously, it was reported that Israel accused Iran of escalating tensions on four different fronts, thereby exacerbating tensions and posing a threat to long-term stability and security in the region.
Also, we wrote that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to cancel a planned trip to the United States in response to the UN resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza, where intense military actions were still ongoing at that time.