Australia summoned Israel’s ambassador after the Israel Defense Forces decided not to open a criminal investigation into the April 2024 strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, including Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong criticized the decision, saying it “falls far short of the accountability we expect,” and called Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman for a meeting in Canberra.
“Democracies seek, and accept higher standards. The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues,” Wong said in a statement.
Frankcom was killed alongside six other World Central Kitchen workers when an Israeli strike hit their vehicle in Gaza. The victims included three British nationals, a Palestinian, a Polish national, and a dual US-Canadian citizen.
The incident drew condemnation from the United States and several of Israel’s allies following the deaths of the foreign aid workers.
Newman defended the decision after meeting Wong, saying an IDF investigation found operational failures but concluded that the soldiers involved did not bear criminal responsibility.
“It was a mistake, in retrospect, but the findings of the court are that there was no criminal intention, no intention to hit at aid workers, and therefore no criminal responsibility,” Newman told reporters in Canberra.
The ambassador said the World Central Kitchen convoy had deviated from an approved route and may have been carrying armed personnel. Those circumstances led Israeli forces to believe the convoy had been taken over by Hamas, he said.
