AMMAN, (PIC)
Representatives of several humanitarian organizations said on Wednesday that the Israeli attack that led to the killing of western relief workers demonstrates, above all, that non-governmental organizations operate in an unsafe environment in the devastated and besieged Gaza Strip, where many of them have been targeted since the beginning of the war.
The American organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) said that its employees were bombed after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, where they had unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid. The vehicles carrying them bore the logo of the charitable organization that coordinated their movement with the Israeli army.
Benjamin Godin, an official with the International First Aid organization, said, “The humanitarian community feels endangered in carrying out its operations in Gaza since October 7th of last year.”
Camilla Dogliotti, from the organization Handicap International, which was targeted by airstrikes at its headquarters in Gaza City at the end of January, said, “The level of risks faced by humanitarian workers is extremely high in certain areas of southern and central Gaza, and unacceptable in all other areas.”
She added that “the attack on the WCK organization is primarily a result of Israel’s continuous non-compliance with international humanitarian law and failure to provide the required protection for civilians, including humanitarian workers.”
Claire Magone, spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, stated that the organization has recorded 21 strikes targeting hospitals or clinics that benefit from their support, as well as ambulance vehicles. The Israeli authorities have been informed of all these attacks as required.
Magone further stated, “The level of danger we face in Gaza is unprecedented in the history of Doctors Without Borders.”
She pointed out that “5 Palestinian employees of the organization have been killed, either in Israeli airstrikes or by gunfire at close range at an Israeli checkpoint.”
The Israeli occupation army continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip, with American and European support, as its aircraft bombard the vicinity of hospitals, buildings, towers, and Palestinian civilian homes, destroying them over the heads of their residents, and preventing the entry of water, food, medicine, and fuel.
The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza has so far resulted in the death of 32,975 citizens and the injury of 75,577 others, in addition to the displacement of about 85% of the population of the Strip, according to the authorities of the Strip, international bodies, and organizations.
Chef José Andrés: Direct attack
Renowned chef José Andrés, the WCK founder, called on Israel to open the land crossings for aid and to stop killing civilians. In an op-ed published by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, he said, “The strikes, which resulted in the killing of 6 international relief workers and their Palestinian driver, were not just an unfortunate mistake in the fog of war.”
Andrés said, “It was a direct attack on vehicles with clear markings, and the Israeli army knew their movements. It was also a direct result of its government’s policy of reducing humanitarian aid to abysmal levels.”
He called on the Israeli government to open land routes for food and medicine today, adding that it must stop killing civilians and relief workers.
“You cannot save hostages by bombing every building in Gaza. You cannot win this war by starving the entire population,” he added.
He pointed out that his charity provides meals to the needy around the world, including in Israel after the attack that led to the war.
Unacceptable
In the Qatari capital, Doha, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, “Israel’s explanations about the killing of 7 employees of the World Central Kitchen in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip are insufficient and unacceptable,” demanding more details.
Sanchez said on Wednesday in a press briefing during his visit to Qatar, “That is unacceptable and insufficient, and we are awaiting a stronger and more detailed explanation, and then we will consider what measures we will take.”
Reprimand for Israel
Canada and a number of other countries intend to reprimand Israel for killing relief workers in Gaza last Monday, while the US administration avoided criticizing the Israeli crime, affirming its continued “support for Israel’s right to self-defense”. Meanwhile, Israeli occupation army leaders admitted that their soldiers “do as they please.”
The Associated Press quoted a senior official in the Canadian government as saying on Wednesday that “Canadian embassies and those of other countries will jointly present an official diplomatic reprimand to the Israeli Foreign Ministry because of the killing of 7 relief workers in Gaza.”
The official, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said, “A senior official in the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also lodged a formal protest with the Israeli ambassador to Canada on Tuesday,” but he did not specify the other countries that would participate in the official reprimand.
Sonak: We are studying declaring Israel a violator of international law
For his part, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that London is studying the declaration of Israel as a violator of international law.
Sunak told Netanyahu that without increasing aid, he would be forced to declare that Israel is violating international law.
He also emphasized that Britain supports the elimination of Hamas but not at the expense of a humanitarian catastrophe.
