Key occasions
Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has advised nationwide broadcaster the ABC that the nation’s overseas ministry is “urgently investigating” experiences of the strike on a Gaza convoy.
An Australian Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce spokesperson mentioned experiences of the dying of an Australian help employee have been very distressing.
“We’ve been clear on the necessity for civilian lives to be protected on this battle,” Reuters quoted the spokesperson as saying.
We’ve been very clear that we count on humanitarian employees in Gaza to have secure and unimpeded entry to do their lifesaving work.
José Andrés, World Central Kitchen’s founder, mentioned he was “heartbroken and grieving” over the deaths within the strike.
He mentioned on X (previously Twitter) that the WCK “misplaced a number of of our sisters and brothers in an IDF air strike in Gaza” and that “they aren’t faceless … they aren’t anonymous”.
Andrés added:
The Israeli authorities must cease this indiscriminate killing. It must cease proscribing humanitarian help, cease killing civilians and help employees, and cease utilizing meals as a weapon. No extra harmless lives misplaced. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It wants to begin now.
The Guardian has not been in a position to independently confirm the supply of the strike.
A full report on the reported Gaza strike is right here – by my colleague Ben Doherty:
For some background on the World Central Kitchen (WCK), the US-based charity delivers meals reduction and prepares meals for folks in want.
It mentioned final month it had served greater than 42m meals in Gaza over 175 days.
Reuters experiences that chef José Andrés began the WCK in 2010 by sending cooks and meals to Haiti after an earthquake. The organisation has since delivered meals for communities hit by pure disasters, refugees on the US border, healthcare employees in the course of the Covid pandemic and other people in conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
In its most up-to-date put up from Monday on X, the WCK mentioned its groups mobilised throughout Gaza each day to distribute meals to displaced Palestinians.
It mentioned:
Our 60+ kitchens in southern and central Gaza are cooking a whole lot of hundreds of meals every day like this mujadara, a comforting dish of rice, lentils, and caramelised onions.
Opening abstract
Welcome to our dwell protection of a reported air strike on a convoy in central Gaza that has killed 4 overseas nationals, in line with the territory’s well being officers. Right here’s what we all know to date:
-
The Israeli navy mentioned it was investigating after nationals from UK, Australia and Poland who have been working for the World Central Kitchen have been reportedly within the convoy that was struck.
-
The nationality of a fourth help employee was not instantly recognized. A Palestinian translator was additionally reportedly killed.
-
The group have been travelling in a convoy that was hit south of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, native officers mentioned.
-
The media workplace of the Hamas-run authorities of Gaza reported the deaths late on Monday.
-
Footage confirmed the our bodies of the 5 lifeless at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. A number of of them wore protecting physique armour with the charity’s emblem. Hospital employees confirmed the passports of three of the lifeless – British, Australian and Polish.
-
The supply of strike couldn’t be independently confirmed.
-
World Central Kitchen mentioned: “It is a tragedy. Humanitarian help employees and civilians ought to by no means be a goal.”
-
A spokesperson for the Israel Defence Forces, Avichay Adraee, mentioned it was “conducting an intensive overview on the highest ranges to know the circumstances of this tragic incident”.
-
Medical officers mentioned the group had been serving to to ship meals and different provides to northern Gaza that had arrived hours early by ship.
We’ll carry you all the newest developments on the story as they arrive to mild.