THE UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories says the Israeli military has ‘intentionally killed’ the aid workers of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in the Gaza Strip.
Francesca Albanese made the remarks in a social media post on Tuesday, after seven employees of the WCK food aid charity were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Dayr al-Balah earlier in the day.
The human rights expert went on to say that the Israeli military’s deliberate attack on the aid convoy of WCK, which is responsible for distributing food aid among the Palestinian people in Gaza, was meant to scare donors of humanitarian relief and ensure the continued starvation of Palestinians in the besieged territory. ‘Israel knows Western countries and some Arab countries won’t move a finger for the Palestinians,’ she regretted.
The special UN rapporteur further called for sanctions against Israel, while noting that on the day the Israeli regime bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus, it also killed the WCK aid workers.
‘Israel is crossing every possible red line with full impunity. There must be sanctions now. Indictments now,’ she said.
On Tuesday, Gaza’s Government Media Office said at least seven foreign aid workers of WCK had been killed in the central part of the Gaza Strip. It said the aid workers included citizens of Australia, Britain, and Poland.
WCK CEO Erin Gore also said in a statement: ‘This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable.’
The NGO further stated that its members were travelling in a ‘de-conflicted zone’, adding that it had coordinated their movements with the Israeli military.
Reactions to the Israeli killing of aid workers are pouring in, with Australian Prime Minister, Antony Albanese condemning the Israeli attack on the aid convoy of WCK, which left an Australian citizen, Zomi Frankcom dead among others. ‘These people are heroes,’ Albanese said, describing Frankcom and the other aid workers killed.
The Australian premier further stated that he was joining the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Nations in a consistent demand for ‘full transparency and accountability’ over the attack.
‘We await that to occur,’ he said, as well as for aid to reach Gaza unimpeded and in large quantities.
However, the US representative at the UN declined to condemn the Israeli aggression and claimed that his country had no involvement in the regime’s strike in Syria, nor did it know about the assault.
‘Iran and its proxy and partner groups need to avoid escalating tensions in the region,’ he said, apparently shifting the blame without condemning the attack.
‘Washington, D.C. does not have confirmation of the status of the building that was struck in Damascus,’ he added. ‘Any confirmed attack on a diplomatic facility would be of concern to the United States.’
The representative of the United Kingdom underlined the importance of respect for the inviolability of diplomatic premises and protection of diplomatic and consular staff for the proper conduct of diplomatic relations.
The UK envoy said Iran must cease its support for resistance groups in the region and use its influence to prevent their attacks.
Taking the floor a second time, Vasily Nebenzia, the representative of the Russian Federation, criticised the Western troika in the Council for cynicism and double standards.
‘The representative of France said everything, except for a single word of condemnation for yet another violation of international law by Israel,’ Nebenzia said.
‘The United States always possesses information on any topic first-hand thanks to its intelligence capabilities. But surprisingly, Washington, D.C. has no confirmation regarding the attack against the consulate of Iran,’ he added. ‘The United Kingdom and the United States almost directly accused Iran and Syria for the Israeli strikes on the Iranian consulate.’
All of the imperialist powers are part of the problem. They are not the solution. The UK trade unions and the other national trade union federations must now take general strike actions to bring down their bourgeois governments and bring in Workers Governments and Socialism. This is the only way out of the capitalist crisis! There is not a moment to lose!
