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Airstrikes on aid workers donB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址榡ust happenB次元官网网址: Trudeau rebukes Netanyahu

Canadian Jacob Flickinger among 7 killed while delivering food aid for World Central Kitchen
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World Central Kitchen is asking Canada to back its demand for an independent investigation into the Israeli airstrikes that killed seven aid workers earlier this week. Canadian army veteran Jacob Flickinger, shown in a handout photo, was among those killed along with a Palestinian driver and citizens of Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO - World Central Kitchen

Attacks on aid workers are not just something that happens in war, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuB次元官网网址檚 defence of a deadly airstrike on aid workers in central Gaza on April 1.

Canadian Army veteran Jacob Flickinger, 33, was among those killed while delivering food aid for World Central Kitchen.

Netanyahu said Wednesday the blasts were a tragic accident that will be investigated B次元官网网址 but also a consequence of armed conflict.

B次元官网网址淭his happens in war,B次元官网网址 Netanyahu said.

At a news conference in Winnipeg Thursday, Trudeau said he had to B次元官网网址渄irectly take issueB次元官网网址 with those comments.

B次元官网网址淣o, it doesnB次元官网网址檛 just happen,B次元官网网址 Trudeau said. B次元官网网址淎nd it shouldnB次元官网网址檛 just happen when you have aid workers for an extraordinary organization like World Central Kitchen risking their lives every day in an incredibly dangerous place to deliver food to people who are experiencing a horrific humanitarian catastrophe.B次元官网网址

World Central Kitchen is demanding a full independent investigation into the attack that killed its workers, including Flickinger, a Palestinian driver, and citizens of Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom.

They were in a clearly marked aid convoy after delivering 100 tonnes of food to a warehouse in central Gaza when they were hit.

Trudeau said a B次元官网网址渇ully open, transparent, independent and rapid investigationB次元官网网址 is absolutely required.

But he said a ceasefire and a massive influx of humanitarian support is also critical.

B次元官网网址淭he reality is we need much more humanitarian support to flow into Gaza, much more protection of civilians, of innocents and of aid workers,B次元官网网址 he said.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why we need a humanitarian ceasefire. We need for Hamas to lay down its arms. We need for the hostages to be released, and we need a ceasefire to allow this humanitarian catastrophe to end as quickly as possible.B次元官网网址

International reaction to the deadly airstrikes has been swift and biting at a time when Israel was already facing sharp criticism for the humanitarian toll of its war in Gaza.

U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak by phone with Netanyahu Thursday. The U.S. has been one of IsraelB次元官网网址檚 biggest defenders and earlier this week approved the transfer of additional bombs to the Israeli military.

But Biden has been getting increasingly frustrated with Israel over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including the limited aid Israel is allowing in and the growing death toll of civilians. On Tuesday he said he was B次元官网网址渙utraged and heartbrokenB次元官网网址 over the latest aid worker deaths.

B次元官网网址淭his conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed,B次元官网网址 he said.

World Central Kitchen founder Jos茅 Andr茅s has a friendship with the Bidens and cooked meals at the White House when president Barack Obama was in office.

Andr茅s rejects IsraelB次元官网网址檚 assertion that it was an accidental attack, saying the charity had clear communication with Israel about when and where the aid workers would be moving.

He said IsraelB次元官网网址檚 right to defend itself does not extend to killing innocent people.

Jonathan Duguay, a close friend of Flickinger who was working in Cyprus for World Central Kitchen at the time of the attack, told The Canadian Press in an interview that Flickinger wasnB次元官网网址檛 afraid because the aid deliveries were co-ordinated with IsraelB次元官网网址檚 assistance.

B次元官网网址淲e had an agreement with the IDF,B次元官网网址 said Duguay. B次元官网网址淭here was a special route. They knew where we were.B次元官网网址

Herzi Halevi, the Israel Defence Force chief of staff, said Wednesday he had received a preliminary report on the strike and insisted the aid workers were not intentionally targeted.

B次元官网网址淚 want to be very clear B次元官网网址 the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification B次元官网网址 at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldnB次元官网网址檛 have happened.B次元官网网址

Halevi said World Central Kitchen does important work in difficult conditions and said Israel is B次元官网网址渢aking immediate actions to ensure that more is done to protect humanitarian aid workers.B次元官网网址

B次元官网网址淭his incident was a grave mistake,B次元官网网址 Halevi told reporters in a televised address in Israel.

B次元官网网址淚srael is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK. We share in the grief of their families, as well as the entire World Central Kitchen organization, from the bottom of our hearts.B次元官网网址

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