Attacks on aid workers are not just something that happens in war, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, slamming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu香蕉视频直播檚 defence of a deadly airstrike on aid workers in central Gaza on April 1.
Canadian Army veteran Jacob Flickinger, 33, was among those killed while delivering food aid for World Central Kitchen.
Netanyahu said Wednesday the blasts were a tragic accident that will be investigated 香蕉视频直播� but also a consequence of armed conflict.
香蕉视频直播淭his happens in war,香蕉视频直播� Netanyahu said.
At a news conference in Winnipeg Thursday, Trudeau said he had to 香蕉视频直播渄irectly take issue香蕉视频直播� with those comments.
香蕉视频直播淣o, it doesn香蕉视频直播檛 just happen,香蕉视频直播� Trudeau said. 香蕉视频直播淎nd it shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 just happen when you have aid workers for an extraordinary organization like World Central Kitchen risking their lives every day in an incredibly dangerous place to deliver food to people who are experiencing a horrific humanitarian catastrophe.香蕉视频直播�
World Central Kitchen is demanding a full independent investigation into the attack that killed its workers, including Flickinger, a Palestinian driver, and citizens of Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom.
They were in a clearly marked aid convoy after delivering 100 tonnes of food to a warehouse in central Gaza when they were hit.
Trudeau said a 香蕉视频直播渇ully open, transparent, independent and rapid investigation香蕉视频直播� is absolutely required.
But he said a ceasefire and a massive influx of humanitarian support is also critical.
香蕉视频直播淭he reality is we need much more humanitarian support to flow into Gaza, much more protection of civilians, of innocents and of aid workers,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淭hat香蕉视频直播檚 why we need a humanitarian ceasefire. We need for Hamas to lay down its arms. We need for the hostages to be released, and we need a ceasefire to allow this humanitarian catastrophe to end as quickly as possible.香蕉视频直播�
International reaction to the deadly airstrikes has been swift and biting at a time when Israel was already facing sharp criticism for the humanitarian toll of its war in Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to speak by phone with Netanyahu Thursday. The U.S. has been one of Israel香蕉视频直播檚 biggest defenders and earlier this week approved the transfer of additional bombs to the Israeli military.
But Biden has been getting increasingly frustrated with Israel over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including the limited aid Israel is allowing in and the growing death toll of civilians. On Tuesday he said he was 香蕉视频直播渙utraged and heartbroken香蕉视频直播� over the latest aid worker deaths.
香蕉视频直播淭his conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed,香蕉视频直播� he said.
World Central Kitchen founder Jos茅 Andr茅s has a friendship with the Bidens and cooked meals at the White House when president Barack Obama was in office.
Andr茅s rejects Israel香蕉视频直播檚 assertion that it was an accidental attack, saying the charity had clear communication with Israel about when and where the aid workers would be moving.
He said Israel香蕉视频直播檚 right to defend itself does not extend to killing innocent people.
Jonathan Duguay, a close friend of Flickinger who was working in Cyprus for World Central Kitchen at the time of the attack, told The Canadian Press in an interview that Flickinger wasn香蕉视频直播檛 afraid because the aid deliveries were co-ordinated with Israel香蕉视频直播檚 assistance.
香蕉视频直播淲e had an agreement with the IDF,香蕉视频直播� said Duguay. 香蕉视频直播淭here was a special route. They knew where we were.香蕉视频直播�
Herzi Halevi, the Israel Defence Force chief of staff, said Wednesday he had received a preliminary report on the strike and insisted the aid workers were not intentionally targeted.
香蕉视频直播淚 want to be very clear 香蕉视频直播� the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification 香蕉视频直播� at night during a war in very complex conditions. It shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 have happened.香蕉视频直播�
Halevi said World Central Kitchen does important work in difficult conditions and said Israel is 香蕉视频直播渢aking immediate actions to ensure that more is done to protect humanitarian aid workers.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭his incident was a grave mistake,香蕉视频直播� Halevi told reporters in a televised address in Israel.
香蕉视频直播淚srael is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK. We share in the grief of their families, as well as the entire World Central Kitchen organization, from the bottom of our hearts.香蕉视频直播�
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