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Probe Closed, Outrage Spikes
Britain, Canada, and Australia condemned as "shameful" Israel's decision to close an investigation into the death of seven aid workers killed in Gaza in 2024, after the World Central Kitchen convoy was hit by a drone strike.
“The announcement by the Israeli army on 19 August 2026 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful”
The joint statement said the announcement on 19 August 2026 that Israel would not pursue criminal investigations into the strike was "particularly egregious," and it said the three governments had been pressing for Israel to "swiftly and thoroughly consider the case and hold those responsible to account."
The BBC reported that on 1 April 2024 the Israel Defense Forces fired on the World Central Kitchen convoy as it was delivering food to civilians in Gaza, killing seven humanitarian workers including three British nationals, a Pole, an Australian, a Canadian, and a dual US-Canadian citizen.
The BBC also said Israel's ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, defended the decision by saying "there was no criminal intention" and therefore "no criminal responsibility."
Summons, Quotes, and Dispute
Australia summoned Israel's ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her country was "outraged" by the Israeli government's decision not to launch a criminal investigation into strikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy.
The BBC reported that Wong said there were still many "unanswered questions" about the strikes, including why, if the first strike was "a catastrophic error", two further strikes followed just minutes apart.
Poland also escalated diplomatic pressure after Israel closed proceedings, with Poland's foreign ministry saying it was "very disappointed" and summoning Israel's ambassador in Warsaw, while Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki told public radio PR1, "We consider this a surprising decision."
In response to the closure, the founder of World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres, described the decision as "wrong" and "painful for all of us," demanding an independent commission to investigate the airstrikes "because the Israeli army cannot credibly investigate its own conduct."
What Happens Next
While the UK, Canada, and Australia pressed for accountability over the World Central Kitchen deaths, the BBC said the IDF announced it would carry out a criminal investigation into the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and six of her relatives in Gaza in 2024.
“the IDF said it would carry out a criminal investigation into the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab”
The BBC added that the IDF said it would similarly investigate the killing of 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN worker, in March 2025, with their bodies found buried in shallow graves a week later next to crushed vehicles.
NPR reported that Israel's military on Wednesday announced its first criminal investigations into troop conduct in Gaza, focusing on the killings of Hind Rajab and her family and of 15 Palestinian paramedics, while it said it would not probe three other attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
In Gaza, the Palestinian Red Crescent spokesperson Raed al-Nims told the AP that "Israeli measures are not enough," and he said "An international investigation is required to uncover the truth and hold all those responsible accountable," echoing the call for accountability beyond the closed World Central Kitchen probe.