The UK, Australia, Canada and Poland have condemned Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal charges for the killing of humanitarian aid workers in Gaza in April 2024.Britons James Henderson, James Kirby and John Chapman were three of seven people killed in repeated Israeli drone strikes while delivering humanitarian aid with the World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Though Israel described the killing as a mistake and a failure at the time, on Wednesday its military said the strike was justified and that it would not be pressing criminal charges.In a joint statement, the British, Australian and Canadian foreign ministries described the announcement as “shameful”. “Announcing this decision on World Humanitarian Day, while the world honoured the courage and sacrifice of humanitarians, was particularly egregious,” the statement said. “In the more than two years since, we have been pressing for Israel to swiftly and thoroughly consider the case and hold those responsible to account,” the statement added. “The victims of this incident and their families deserve justice and accountability, and we will continue to seek answers on their behalf.”It also signalled a lack of faith in Israel’s professed ability to hold its own military and institutions to account. “The World Central Kitchen attack is one of countless incidents in Gaza where there has been no accountability,” the statement said. “Gaza remains one of the deadliest places to deliver aid, with 186 humanitarian workers killed in 2025.”James Henderson, one of the seven aid workers killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Photo: World Central KitchenShow caption: James Henderson, one of the seven aid workers killed in an I…Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and Canadian-American Jacob Flickinger were also killed, as well as Polish national Damian Sobol and Palestinian Saif Abu Taha. Poland's foreign ministry said it was “very disappointed” by the decision and had summoned ​Israel's ​ambassador in Warsaw.Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy ⁠Niemczycki told public radio PR1 on ​Friday: “We believe ​that the ‌use of force must be proportionate, and that inappropriate use of ⁠force should have consequences, so we expect clarification on this matter.” Australia also summoned Israel's ambassador in Canberra on Thursday.The Israeli military on Wednesday said that it had reason to target the aid convoy because it had identified a gunman on a lorry while it was on a route to a warehouse. This is the UK government’s fourth intervention on the Palestinian issue this week, marking a shift in tone and a tougher stance on Israel. This was signalled at the start of Andy Burnham's premiership in July, when he insisted that the Labour Party had got its policy wrong at the start of the Israel-Gaza war.On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemned the launch of an Israeli tender for the E1 settlement project, and summoned the country’s charge d’affaires. On Thursday, Mr Burnham was among seven leaders to call for Israel to halt the settlement project and warn businesses of “consequences” if they bid for construction tenders.Minister for the Middle East Stephen Doughty also called on Israel to allow more humanitarian relief into Gaza following a visit to aid warehouses in Al Arish, on the Egyptian border with the strip. But the condemnation is unlikely to provide comfort to the victims’ families, who have not yet publicly commented on the decision. The National spoke to James Henderson’s brother, Matt, last year, who described his family’s relentless efforts to push the UK government to do more to pressure Israel for answers.“We’ve spoken to people on the ground in Gaza, they give you different stories, different names. Not everything has been shared with us. There’s more information out there, it’s not been given, it’s not been shared. My question is, why?”