Australia's foreign minister, Penny Wong, declared relations with Israel "difficult" following the Israeli military's decision not to launch criminal investigations into the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom.
Frankcom and her colleagues were killed in April 2024 when their aid convoy was struck by an Israeli air raid in Gaza. The incident provoked widespread international condemnation and intensified calls for enhanced protections for humanitarian workers operating in the region.
Israel's military announced this week that no criminal investigations would proceed, a decision that elicited a strong response from the Australian government. Minister Wong summoned Israel's ambassador, Hillel Newman, to convey the government's displeasure, describing the decision as "especially insulting and hurtful," particularly as it coincided with World Humanitarian Day.
Following her meeting with Ambassador Newman, Wong stated that Australia "does not have confidence" in Israel's inquiry into the killings. "The Australian government will continue to keep pressing Israel for justice," Wong affirmed, indicating that Canberra's envoy in Israel has been instructed to directly communicate Australia's position to the Israeli government.
Ambassador Newman conveyed his "deep sorrow and grief" to Frankcom's family but maintained that Israel "had no intention to attack or injure in any way the aid workers that were on the convoy." He urged respect for the conclusion that there was no criminal liability, while also commenting on what he perceived as "a lot of haters of Israel in Australia."
Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen, described the decision as "wrong and is painful for all of us. There was no excuse for their attacks on our team." The US-based charity deemed the findings "inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive," and has demanded an independent commission to conduct an investigation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously acknowledged that the volunteers were killed "unintentionally" by the military.
