On Tuesday 2 April, on the social network X, the European Commission called for an “in-depth investigation” into the Israeli air strike that claimed the lives of seven aid workers from the American NGO World Central Kitchen (‘WCK’) on Monday 1 April in Gaza.
According to the NGO, the team was travelling in two armoured cars and a soft-top vehicle, all bearing the NGO’s logo, in a so-called ‘deconflicted zone’. Under international humanitarian law, this zone is designed to avoid potential dangers for humanitarian personnel.
Without mentioning Israel, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, paid tribute to the humanitarian workers on X.
“@WCKitchen is a crucial partner in alleviating the suffering of the people of Gaza, including by channeling food via the Maritime Corridor. My deepest condolences to their families and friends”, Ms von der Leyen wrote on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted an “unintentional” strike by Israeli forces on NGO staff, describing it as “a tragic incident”.
“These are what happens in war, and we’re going to investigate it fully. We are in contact with governments and will do everything we can to ensure that this never happens again”, he said on Tuesday, as reported by AFP.
The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, and the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, have both reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire, as requested by the European Council at the end of March (see EUROPE 13376/1) and as required by a United Nations Security Council resolution passed on 25 March.
The team of humanitarian volunteers was made up of Australian, American, Canadian, Palestinian and British nationals, as well as a Polish citizen.
“I personally asked the Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne for urgent explanations. He assured me that Poland would soon receive the results of the investigation into this tragedy”, said Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on X.
On Tuesday, World Central Kitchen said it was suspending its aid operations in the Gaza Strip.
The EU did not have a formal partnership with the American NGO, explained a spokesperson for the European Commission. However, the NGO convoy was hit as it left the warehouse in Deir al-Balah, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid delivered to Gaza via the EU-supported maritime corridor set up in Cyprus (see EUROPE 13369/3).
“The tragic events should not discourage us. We must double down on our efforts to provide more assistance as the need dramatically escalates”, said the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Níkos Christodoulídis, at a press conference. Present in Nicosia, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, also called for an investigation into the circumstances of the Israeli strike. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)