Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is “outraged” at the Israeli military’s decision to close the investigation into the strike on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom.On April 1 2024, Ms Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues had attempted to deliver food to Palestinians displaced by Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip before being killed in a strike. In a statement overnight, the IDF said there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct” in the attack on the WCK convoy following an internal probe led by its Military Advocate General. On Thursday, Senator Wong said the government learned of the Israeli military’s decision “moments before it was announced” on World Humanitarian Day, which was “especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians”.“Zomi represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated. Her family deserves justice,” Senator Wong said. “This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect … Democracies seek and accept higher standards.” Senator Wong confirmed she would summon Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman to Canberra, and has directed Australia’s Ambassador to Israel to convey the country’s views “directly to Israel” as the government “considers next steps”. The findings were released hours after Senator Wong vowed the federal government was pursuing “full accountability for the deaths of Zomi and her World Central Kitchen colleagues” in a speech at Parliament House. The IDF said its officers “mistakenly believed that the vehicles contained Hamas military operatives and therefore struck the vehicles”. “Following review of all findings of the factual assessment, it was determined that, notwithstanding serious failures in the process that led to the assessment that Hamas operatives were travelling in the vehicles, the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct,” the IDF said.“There is no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation or the taking of additional measures against any of those involved in the incident.”But WCK “strongly condemned” the assessment made by the Israeli military and continued to call for an independent commission to investigate the attack. “We fundamentally disagree with their decision about criminal investigations into the IDF air strikes that killed our team,” the charity said in a statement. “There has never been any excuse or justification for the attacks, and there is nothing in this account that does so. “The decision is inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive.“At the time of the lethal attacks, the IDF knew that our team in Gaza was unarmed and posing a threat to nobody. “It had full visual clarity on our clearly marked humanitarian vehicles during the extended, multiple air strikes. “It knew our team’s movements, identities and activities in advance.“The military investigation conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story and shifts the blame for the IDF’s illegal conduct.”More to comeRead related topics:Penny Wong