UK, Australia, Canada Condemn Israel Over Decision To End Criminal Probe Into Gaza Aid Workers’ K!lling
UK, Australia, Canada Condemn Israel Over Decision To End Criminal Probe Into Gaza Aid Workers’ Killing
The governments said they had spent more than two years pressing Israel to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those responsible accountable.
The United Kingdom, Australia and Canada have condemned Israel’s decision to close a criminal investigation into the killing of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian workers in Gaza, describing the move as “shameful” and insisting that the victims and their families deserve justice and accountability.
The three countries, in a joint statement issued on Friday, which was shared by UK Foreign Commonwealth, & development office X handle, said Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings over the April 2024 strike on the aid convoy was inadequate and came more than two years after the incident.
The statement followed an announcement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on August 19 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into the strike, which killed seven humanitarian workers, including nationals of the UK and Australia and a dual Canadian-US citizen.
“On 1 April 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired on a World Central Kitchen convoy as it was delivering food to civilians in Gaza,” the governments said. “Drone strikes killed seven humanitarian workers, including from the United Kingdom, Australia and a dual Canada-US national.”
According to the statement, the IDF had initially described the incident as a serious mistake and failure.
Israel
The governments said they had spent more than two years pressing Israel to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those responsible accountable.
“The announcement by the IDF on 19 August 2026 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful,” they said.
They also criticised Israel for announcing the decision on World Humanitarian Day, saying the timing was particularly offensive to the families of the victims and humanitarian workers around the world.
“Announcing this decision on World Humanitarian Day, while the world honoured the courage and sacrifice of humanitarians, was particularly egregious,” the statement said.
“This decision is both too little, and too late.”
The governments said the seven victims and their relatives were entitled to justice and accountability, adding that they would continue pressing Israel for answers.
“The victims of this incident and their families deserve justice and accountability, and we will continue to seek answers on their behalf,” they said.
The WCK workers were killed on April 1, 2024, when their convoy was struck as they travelled through Gaza after delivering food to civilians.
The incident triggered international condemnation and renewed scrutiny of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, particularly the risks faced by humanitarian workers operating in the territory.
The IDF subsequently acknowledged serious failures surrounding the strike.
The joint statement noted that the attack was not an isolated incident, arguing that the lack of accountability surrounding the WCK deaths formed part of a wider concern over attacks affecting humanitarian personnel in Gaza.
“The World Central Kitchen attack is one of countless incidents in Gaza where there has been no accountability,” the governments said.
They warned that humanitarian workers continue to operate under extremely dangerous conditions while providing assistance to civilians facing severe humanitarian needs.
“In Gaza, humanitarian workers continue to work tirelessly to support civilians in desperate need, risking their lives whilst working in the most perilous conditions,” they said.
The governments further stated that, despite a fragile ceasefire, Gaza remained an exceptionally dangerous environment for humanitarian operations.
They cited a figure of 186 humanitarian workers killed in 2025, underscoring what they described as the continuing risks faced by aid personnel.
The development follows previous reports by SaharaReporters on international condemnation of Israel’s handling of the WCK incident and growing demands for accountability over the deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza.
SaharaReporters also reported the reaction of Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who said Australia was “outraged” by Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings against those responsible for the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and her WCK colleagues.
Wong said the decision fell “far short” of the accountability expected by Australia and the family of Frankcom.
The Australian minister also pointed to findings that the strikes resulted from serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making.
The latest joint statement similarly maintained pressure on Israel to account for the deaths and stressed the obligations of states under international humanitarian law.
“Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, and must do more to ensure that humanitarian staff can carry out their work safely,” the governments said.
They added that lessons must be learned from the incident to prevent similar attacks in the future.
The statement comes amid continued international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct of military operations in Gaza and growing concern over the safety of humanitarian personnel working to deliver food, medicine and other assistance to civilians.
The three governments said the deaths of the WCK workers should not be allowed to pass without meaningful accountability.
“This decision is both too little, and too late,” they reiterated, maintaining that the victims, their families and humanitarian organisations deserved a full accounting of what happened.
