‘Unequivocal condemnation’
Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary David Cameron had called his Israeli counterpart to urge an investigation into the incident. Junior minister Andrew Mitchell meanwhile summoned Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s ambassador to the U.K., to a meeting in the Foreign Office in which he “set out the government’s unequivocal condemnation of the appalling killing of 7 World Central Kitchen aid workers, including 3 British nationals.”
The comments from the top U.K. politicians signal a notable hardening in tone, and came as the U.S. government too urged a speedy and independent investigation into the April 1 Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a trip to Paris, called on Israel to do more to protect civilian lives.
Australia’s Anthony Albanese meanwhile expressed his own anger at what he called the “completely unacceptable” killing of 43-year-old Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom in the same bombing. Albanese too summoned the Israeli ambassador.
On Tuesday Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu admitted “innocent people” had been killed in the “unintentional” airstrike.
“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 vowed.
World Central Kitchen said it had paused its operations “immediately” following the bombing.
Seb Starcevic contributed reporting. This story has been updated with further reporting.