Killing of aid workers in Gaza must be ‘independently, fully investigated: UN rights chief

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The UN human rights chief on Tuesday said that the killing in Gaza of seven members of US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) "must be independently and fully investigated."

"Volker Turk condemns killing of WCK team in Gaza. Like other humanitarian workers, they were performing urgent lifesaving work," the UN human rights office said on X.

According to the office, he urged Israel to respect and protect all humanitarian workers.

The charity had earlier confirmed that seven of its humanitarian aid workers were killed in Monday's Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip.

"The WCK team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle," it said in a statement.

Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli army, it added, the convoy was hit as it was leaving the group's warehouse in the southern 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.

"This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable," said CEO Erin Gore.

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