The Australian government has emphasized the importance of preserving evidence related to the attack.
Australia is taking significant steps following the Israeli airstrike that resulted in the death of seven aid workers, including one Australian national, Australia media reported.
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are set to inform their Israeli counterparts of the decision to appoint a special adviser to oversee the investigation, ensuring alignment with Australia’s expectations.
The adviser, who will be appointed soon, will reportedly possess expertise in military and humanitarian law and will ensure that the investigation aligns with Australia’s expectations.
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The Australian government has emphasized the importance of preserving evidence related to the attack.
Israel has briefed Australia on its own investigation into the incident, which led to the firing of two officers and the reprimand of three others.
Despite this, the World Central Kitchen (WCK), which lost six workers in the attack, has called for an independent commission to investigate the incident, asserting that Israel “cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.”
Australian Foreign Minister Wong has expressed dissatisfaction with Israel’s initial response to the incident, stating that “hasn’t yet satisfied our expectations,” according to ABC.
Wong expressed concern that those responsible for the attack have not been removed from their positions during the investigation.
Is Australia prepared to go further, and now impose sanctions as suggested by AJDS to Penny Wong? #Gaza #Australia #zomifrankom #auspol #worldcentralkitchen pic.twitter.com/nms0b2Oy3M
— Australian Jewish Democratic Society (@AJDS_tweets) April 2, 2024
Additionally, the minister criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s characterization of the incident as “unintentional”, stressing the gravity of the killings of the humanitarian workers.
Independent Probe
WCK on Thursday called for an independent investigation into the killing of the seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike on Monday as “the only way to determine the truth of what happened.”
The organization said “the military attack that involved multiple strikes” targeted three WCK vehicles.”
“All three vehicles were carrying civilians; they were marked as WCK vehicles; and their movements were in full compliance with Israeli authorities, who were aware of their itinerary, route, and humanitarian mission.”
The aid workers killed were from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, and Palestine.
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Israel has admitted to the killings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it “a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants,” and adding “This happens in war.”
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Tuesday quoted a source in the intelligence branch of the army as saying that the command “knows exactly what the cause of the attack was – in Gaza, everyone does as he pleases.”
Accountability
WCK said in a statement that an independent probe “is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers.”
Australia and the UK both summoned the Israeli ambassadors following the attack.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters “We want full accountability for this because this is a tragedy that should never have occurred.”
Britain’s Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, said in a statement: “I requested a quick and transparent investigation, shared with the international community, and full accountability.”
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Over 33,000 Killed
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 33,173 Palestinians have been killed, and 75,815 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
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The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’
(PC, Anadolu)
“Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters “We want full accountability for this because this is a tragedy that should never have occurred.”” And if Israel hadn’t been granted full immunity for whatever it did to Palestinians and others, if Israel had been held accountable for its actions, it probably would not have happened. This is the consequence for granting Israel impunity.