Anthony Albanese tells Benjamin Netanyahu of ‘anger, concern’ over aid worker Zomi Frankcom death

The IDF apologises for the strike that killed seven aid workers after their cars were hit by three separate missiles: Albanese demands Benjamin Netanyahu give full accountability over the tragedy.

The World Central Kitchen cars were clearly marked with the charity’s logo on the roof. Picture: Reuters.

The Israeli Defence Forces have apologised for the strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, and blamed it on “misidentification.”

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the military had completed a preliminary investigation into the attack and stressed there was no intention to harm the staff of the Global World Kitchen charity.

“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Halevi said, adding that there was no “intention of harming WCK aid workers.”

“I want to be very clear—the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification—at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Watch the full statement by IDF Chief of the… pic.twitter.com/JnvoJOTVg9

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 2, 2024

Mr Halevi added: “This incident was a grave mistake. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK. We share in the grief of their families as well as the entire World Central Kitchen organisation from the bottom of our hearts.”

Earlier on Wednesday (AEDT), the IDF claimed the attack was a result of on-the-ground commanders acing against orders.

The members of World Central Kitchens charity were reportedly targeted in three separate strikes on their vehicles - which were clearly marked on their roof with their charity’s logo.

However an IDF source told the Haaretz newspaper the attack was due to the “lack of discipline on the part of commanders on the ground, and not due to coordination problems between the army and the humanitarian organisation.”

The workers had coordinated their movements with the Israeli Defence Forces and were travelling in a convoy of “two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle” at the time of the strike, World Central Kitchens said.

As they left an aid centre, three missiles were fired at the convoy in quick succession, Israeli media reports.

One of the targeted vehicles in Deir Al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. Picture: Majdi Fathi/Nur.

According to Haaretz newspaper, the decision to fire was was made by a unit guarding the aid transport route after troops earlier spotted what appeared to be an armed figure riding on a truck that entered an aid storage area with three WCK cars.

The attack occurred moments after the three cars left the storage area - but without the truck and armed figure, according to the report.

Investigations website Bellingcat, which geolocated the cars at the time of the strikes reported the vehicles were targeted over a distance of around two kilometres.

When the first drone struck, they were, just over 11 km from the floating pier set up by WCK to deliver aid.

The second vehicle was found 800m from the first, and the third 1.5km further along the road, meaning the drone was tracking the cars at a total distance of around 2km.

Using imagery from the aftermath, Bellingcat geolocates overnight strikes, by Israeli forces, on The World Central Kitchen vehicles to the outskirts of Deir al-Balah. https://t.co/z6enewZrex

— Bellingcat (@bellingcat) April 2, 2024

Haaretz said as the convoy was driving along the Al Rashid road, drone operators were ordered to attack one of the cars with a missile. After a missile hit the first car, those inside evacuated to the other two cars, before a second missile hit. As the third, untouched car approached to evacuate the wounded, the third missile was fired through its roof. All seven people in the vehicles were killed.

“Despite coordinating movements with the (Israeli army), the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route,” WCK said.

‘Concern and anger’

The IDF apology came as Anthony Albanese expressed the nation’s anger at Ms Frankcom’s death to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demanded the leader give full accountability and transparency.

“I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning with a phone call that was organised overnight. I expressed Australia’s anger and concern at the death of Zomi Frankcom,” the Prime Minister said in a press conference on Wednesday morning.

Mr Albanese, who on Tuesday described the attack as “targeted,” added: “Zomi was an Australian aid worker working for the World Central Kitchen providing support for people who are suffering from tremendous deprivation in Gaza ... This is completely unacceptable.

“The Israeli government has accepted responsibility for this and Prime Minister Netanyahu conveyed his condolences to the family of Zomi Frankcom and to Australia as a result of this tragedy.”

Asked about Mr Netanyahu’s comments that the incident was “unintentional” and could happen during war, Mr Albanese said: “Well, Prime Minister Netanyahu did accept responsibility on behalf of the Israeli Defence Force for this tragedy. So there was no equivocation there,” he said.

“But I think that Australians will look at this and be deeply, deeply concerned that someone going about their work, providing aid in an exercise of humanity could lose their life in this way, is completely unacceptable.”

On Tuesday, Mr Albanese told the ABC’s 7.30: “The targeting of these people is just a tragedy.”

In his conversation with his Israeli counterpart, the PM said he reiterated Australia’s concern at the loss of life in Gaza to his Israeli counterpart.

“I indicated very clearly Australia’s view as I have in every conversation I have had with Prime Minister Netanyahu our support for a two-state solution in the Middle East, support for Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security with prosperity side by side, and that that was in the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians.”

Mr Netanyahu has also spoken to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak over the incident in which three Britons were killed, and which Mr Netanyahu has described as “unintentional” and “tragic”.

US President Joe Biden has said he is “heartbroken” over the tragedy.

Mr Sunak told Mr Netanyahu he was appalled that “far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza”. He said the situation was “increasingly intolerable”, and demanded Israel take immediate action to end restrictions on humanitarian aid, protect civilians and repair hospitals and water networks in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Mr Albanese demanded Israel demonstrate “full and proper accountability” over the attack, revealing the Jewish country’s top diplomat in Australia would be hauled in to explain what occurred.

Hours before she was killed, Ms Frankcom had earlier told her brother she had safely crossed a “dangerous” checkpoint from northern Gaza.

But loved ones discovered she had been killed after video of five bodies at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza and images of a bloodied Australian passport were shared on social media. ­ In a sign of escalating tensions between Canberra and Israel, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday that the death was “completely unacceptable” and that the ­Depart­ment of Foreign Affairs and Trade had been instructed to haul in Israel’s ambassador, Amir Maimon, to explain what happened.

“This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity, for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza. And this is just completely unacceptable,” Mr Albanese said.

“Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers – which is completely unacceptable. Aid workers and those doing humanitarian work, and indeed all innocent civilians, need to be provided with pro­tection. But this news today is tragic. DFAT have also requested a call in from the Israeli ambassador to Australia as well. We want full ­accountability for this, ­because this is a tragedy that should never have occurred.”

Praising Ms Frankcom for her humanitarian work, Mr Albanese said the Australian government had also contacted Israel directly to discover what had happened, warning her death was “beyond any reasonable circumstances”.

Three of the bloodstained passports. Picture: X

He repeated Australia’s calls for a sustainable ceasefire and said the government wanted to see all Israeli hostages released and for more aid to be delivered to the people of Gaza.

World Central Kitchen said its team had been travelling in a ­deconflicted zone in two armoured cars when the convoy was hit leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where its team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of aid.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia “condemns this strike” that also killed British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian staff, and warned the death of any aid worker was “outrageous and unacceptable”.

DFAT was providing consular assistance to Ms Frankcom’s family, with Senator Wong saying the volunteer had dedicated her life to the “service of others”.

“The government has made representations to the Netanyahu government and seeks a thorough and expeditious review,” she said.

Relations between Australia and Israel have been fractured since Labor resumed funding to a controversial UN aid group with ties to terrorist group Hamas, with the move blasted by Mr Maimon and branded “reckless and irresponsible” by Jewish leaders.

The Israel Defence Forces on Tuesday said it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident”.

“The IDF makes extensive ­efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the IDF said.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham called on Israel to be transparent about its findings from any investigation it conducted as he urged Hamas to release all hostages and facilitate a lasting ceasefire.

“We mourn the death of Australian humanitarian worker Zomi Frankcom who, amidst great tragedy and suffering, was working to save lives in Gaza,” Senator Birmingham said. “Israel should conduct investigations and be transparent in its findings.”

Greens foreign affairs spokesman David Shoebridge said Mr ­Albanese was complicit in Ms Frankcom’s death, as he called on Labor to end arms trade with Israel.

“Albanese says he wants “full accountability” for the killing of an Australian aid worker in Gaza,” Senator Shoebridge said.

“We do too, as well as for the more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, and our accountability starts with the PM and his government’s shameful complicity.”