A Palestinian man inspct carcass of a car used by US-based aid group World Central Kitchen, that was hit by an Israeli strike the previous day in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Canada and Australia criticized Israel on Thursday for deciding against criminal prosecutions related to an April 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers.
"Serious failures were identified in the conduct of the strike, and closing the case without further accountability leaves their families without the answers they have sought for more than two years," Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand of Canada said in a statement, saying it was "unacceptable" to decide against the pursuit of a criminal investigation.
"Humanitarian workers delivering food and other life-saving assistance in conflict zones must be protected. Canada expects international humanitarian law to be upheld and will continue pressing for a full accounting of what happened, along with justice for the seven workers who were killed and their families."
Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger, Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and five other workers of the U.S.-based World Central Kitchen were killed on April 1, 2024, when an Israeli airstrike struck their vehicle south of Central Gaza's Deir al-Balah.
