US, Israeli defense chiefs discuss 'tragic strike' on World Central Kitchen aid workers

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant held talks Monday on Israel's "tragic strike" on humanitarian aid workers with the food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK).

In a phone call, Austin and Gallant exchanged views on the Israeli army's investigation of the strike and the "need for procedural changes to ensure such incidents never happen again," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The Israeli April 1 attack in the Gaza Strip killed seven WCK aid workers – three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, a US-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.

The defense chiefs also discussed the urgent need to dramatically increase deliveries of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

"Minister Gallant provided details about the (Israeli army’s) withdrawal from portions of Gaza and the future of Israel's campaign against Hamas," the statement said, adding Austin expressed his commitment to supporting the unconditional return of all hostages and expressed hope that ongoing negotiations would produce a pause in hostilities.

Austin also affirmed the US’s unwavering support for Israel's defense in light of threats posed by Iran, according to the Pentagon.

The Israeli military announced Friday that it fired two officers and reprimanded three others following an investigation into the strike, saying the attack was a “serious mistake.”

WCK on Friday demanded the creation of an independent commission to investigate the killings of its aid workers, adding that Israel “cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.”

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

Over 33,200 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 76,000 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

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.

On March 25, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. While Hamas welcomed the resolution, Israel rejected the cease-fire call and vowed to continue its war on the Palestinian enclave.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in January issued an interim ruling that ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.