“Both April 1 airstrikes—within miles of each other—are flagrant reminders of the harrowing conditions humanitarian aid workers and Palestinian families continue to face every minute of every day.”
The World Central Kitchen (WCK) has disclosed that another of its aid workers was seriously injured in a separate Israeli airstrike just minutes before the attack that killed seven of its workers in Gaza over a week ago.
“Just 15 minutes before our convoy was repeatedly hit, one of our brave Palestinian staff members was gravely injured in a reportedly deadly airstrike at al-Bashir Mosque in Deir al-Balah,” the global food charity said in a statement on Wednesday.
The murder by Israel of int. aid workers is another war crime in #Gaza. Israel must be held accountable. But the disproportionate reactions by western government to the crime compared to the genocide against millions of Palestinians tell of a story of double standards & racism. pic.twitter.com/dINLy9foSu
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) April 3, 2024
The organization noted: “Both April 1 airstrikes—within miles of each other—are flagrant reminders of the harrowing conditions humanitarian aid workers and Palestinian families continue to face every minute of every day.”
The aid worker, identified as Amro, sustained serious head and hand injuries “while he was off duty in a home close to the mosque in the area surrounding our warehouse and newly established kitchen in Deir al-Balah.”
‘Fallen Heroes’
After his retrieval from underneath the rubble, the aid worker was brought to the same hospital that also received WCK’s “fallen heroes.”
Amro, who spent some time in a coma, was airlifted to another hospital where he “is recovering, receiving treatment, and getting stronger every day,” the WCK said.
Before joining the aid organization, Amrow was the owner of a sweet shop, that was destroyed in a bombing early in the war, the statement said. Amro and his wife were forced to flee south “in search of safety like hundreds of thousands of their Palestinian brethren.”
‘Completely Unacceptable’ – UK Summons Israeli Ambassador over Aid Workers’ Killing in Gaza
Israel’s attack on the WCK aid convoy, which killed a Palestinian, three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, and a US-Canadian dual citizen, has been condemned worldwide.
Australia as well as the UK summoned Israel’s ambassador over the attack.
According to WCK, the team “was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle”, when the attack occurred.
‘This Happens in War’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deaths of the aid workers were “an unintentional killing of innocents” and will be investigated.
“This happens in war, we are thoroughly investigating it, we are in contact with the relevant parties and will do everything to ensure that this sort of thing doesn’t happen again,” Netanyahu reportedly added.
The attack also received a rebuke from US President Joe Biden who called the attack “outrageous”.
“I think it’s outrageous that those four, three vehicles were hit by drones and taken out on a highway where it wasn’t like it was along the shore, it wasn’t like there was a convoy moving there,” he said.
In a telephone call with Netanyahu last Thursday, Biden “emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” according to a statement from the White House.
Over 33,500 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,545 Palestinians have been killed, and 76,0949 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in the enclave.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
I think all audio-visual media, when reporting on Israel’s behaviour towards Palestinians and Western complacency towards it, should play the melody of Warren Zevon’s song “Excitable Boy”. Listen to the song – it’s available on Youtube – and you won’t wonder why.