Three British aid workers killed in Gaza named

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, World Central Kitchen said seven of its aid workers were killed

By Emily Atkinson & Andre Rhoden-Paul

BBC News

Three British aid workers have been killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza.

John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby were among the seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in Monday’s strike, the BBC has learned.

The charity has paused its operations and said the other victims were Australian, Polish, Palestinian and a US-Canadian citizen.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deaths “appalled” him. Israel said they were killed by an “unintended strike”.

Australian national Lalzawmi Frankcom, Polish national Damian Sobol, Palestinian Saif Abu Taha and US-Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger were among the others killed in the strike.

The team had been leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where it had unloaded food aid, according to the charity.

The convoy was made up of three vehicles, including two that were armoured, which clearly displayed the charity’s logo. All three were hit during the strike.

The UK summoned the Israeli ambassador over the deaths – the first time this has happened in 12 years – and Mr Sunak demanded an investigation in a call with Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

In Tuesday’s call, a Downing Street spokesperson said “the prime minister said far too many aid workers and ordinary civilians have lost their lives in Gaza and the situation is increasingly intolerable.

“The prime minister reiterated that Israel’s rightful aim of defeating Hamas would not be achieved by allowing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said he had spoken to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz to underline the aid worker deaths were “completely unacceptable”.

“It is essential that humanitarian workers are protected and able to carry out their work,” he said.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

Image caption, World Central Kitchen says those killed were part of a convoy that was travelling from a warehouse in central Gaza

US President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the WCK workers’ deaths.

He said Israel had “not done enough to protect civilians” in an emphatic shift from his previous call that Israel “must do more” to protect the lives of aid workers in Gaza.

Israeli prime minister Mr Netanyahu released a video message on Tuesday in which he said Israeli forces were behind the “tragic” attack.

“It happens in war, we check it to the end, we are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again,” he said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was conducting a “thorough review” into what it called a “tragic incident”.

In a separate statement, IDF chief of general staff Herzi Halevi said 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,” he added.

But WCK chief executive Erin Gore called the strike a “targeted attack by the IDF”.

Paying tribute to the victims, Ms Gore said she was “heartbroken and appalled” at the “beautiful lives” lost in the attack.

WCK said the charity coordinated their movements with the IDF.

Image source, World Central Kitchen

Image caption, World Central Kitchen released pictures of the victims

Arrangements are being made to transport the bodies of the six foreigners to Egypt via the Rafah border crossing.

US-based organisation WCK aims to provide meals in humanitarian crises. The charity said it had served 42 million meals over 175 days in Gaza – working out at roughly 240,000 per day.

Last month the charity was part of the first maritime humanitarian aid shipment mission to Gaza.

An unnamed UN official told BBC News the aid worker deaths were either a “dreadful failure of deconfliction”, or evidence that the existing system was not fit for purpose.

Deconfliction is a system allowing aid organisations to work in warzones. It involves notifying military powers where aid organisations are working and when they are on the move.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the air strike as “outrageous and unacceptable”, and called for humanitarian workers to be protected and international law to be upheld.

Much of the Gaza Strip has been devastated during the Israeli military operations that began after Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages.

About 130 of the hostages remain in captivity, at least 34 of whom are presumed dead.

More than 32,916 people have been killed in Gaza since then, the Hamas-run health ministry says.