Israeli president, army chief extend apologies over killing of foreign aid workers in Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Israeli President Isaac Herzog and army chief Herzi Halevi on Wednesday extended apologies for the Israeli army's killing of aid workers in Gaza affiliated with the US-based aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK).

In a statement by his office, Herzog made a phone call with WCK founder Chef Jose Anders during which he "expressed his deep sorrow and sincere apologies over the tragic loss of life of WCK staff in the Gaza Strip, (...) sent his condolences to their families and loved ones."

The Israeli army's Chief of Staff Halevi also issued an apology for the Israeli airstrike on the aid convoy in Gaza.

He said the incident occurred as a result of a "misidentification" matter that happened "during a war in very complex conditions."

Several countries worldwide voiced condemnation of the killing of the aid workers in Gaza, including the US, which said it was "deeply troubled" by the incident.

On Tuesday, the World Central Kitchen confirmed that seven of its humanitarian aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip.

The workers were nationals of Australia, Poland, the UK, and Palestine, as well as a US-Canadian dual citizen.

Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli army, the humanitarian organization said the convoy was hit as it was leaving a warehouse in the southern Gaza city of Deir al-Balah, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on a maritime route.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas which killed around 1,200 people.

At least 32,916 Palestinians have since been killed and 75,494 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which last week asked it to do more to prevent famine in Gaza.