Andrés says Gaza aid workers were targeted 'systematically, car by car'; outrage mounts
Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on the Israel-Hamas war for Wednesday, April 3. For the latest news, please see our story for Thursday, April 4.
Government leaders and family members of the seven World Central Kitchen members killed in an Israeli missile strike were pressing Israel for answers Wednesday as details of the attack began to emerge.
The seven were killed Monday while traveling in a convoy from an aid warehouse in central Gaza. They were identified as Jacob Flinkinger, 33, a dual U.S.-Canada citizen; Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25; Laizawmi "Zomi" Frankcom, 43, of Australia; Damian Soból, 35, of Poland, and British nationals John Chapman, 57; James "Jim" Henderson, 33; and James Kirby, 47.
Celebrity chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, said the workers were targeted "systematically, car by car."
The organization's CEO, Erin Gore, called the workers "the heroes of World Central Kitchen" in a statement, adding: "Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss. The world's loss.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Frankcom had previously volunteered during Australian brush fires and Monday had been providing aid to "people who are suffering tremendous deprivation" in Gaza. Albanese said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone Wednesday and, "I emphasized the importance of full accountability and transparency."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the vast majority of Poles showed full solidarity with Israel after the Hamas attack but warned Israel that "you are putting this solidarity to a really hard test. The tragic attack on volunteers and your reaction arouse understandable anger."
Outrage grows over Israeli strike: Netanyahu says deaths unintentional
Developments:
? The bodies of six of the aid workers were transferred from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing to allow delegations from their home countries to receive the bodies. The seventh victim, Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, was buried Tuesday in his hometown of Rafah.
? The Israeli army said it had begun calling up ultra-Orthodox religious students. Such students have been exempt from the draft since the country's founding in 1948. The decision to start drafting them sparked protests across the nation ? although many Israelis believe the change was long overdue.
Andrés: 'This was not just a bad-luck situation'
Andrés told Reuters the charity group had clear communication with the Israeli military, which knew the aid workers' movements.
"This was not just a bad-luck situation where ‘oops’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place," Andrés said. "Even if we were not in coordination with the (Israel military), no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians."
Who is José Andrés? What to know about WCK and deadly airstrike in Gaza
Netanyahu rival Gantz calls for September elections
Benny Gantz, the Netanyahu rival and member of his War Cabinet who met with high-level U.S. officials in an unauthorized visit to Washington a month ago, is calling for new Israeli elections in September.
Polls have indicated he would beat the highly unpopular Netanyahu ? the subject of increasingly vitriolic protests as more than 100 hostages remain captive in Gaza ? if elections were held now.
"We must agree on a date for elections in September, towards a year to the war if you will," Gantz said Wednesday in a news conference. "Setting such a date will allow us to continue the military effort while signaling to the citizens of Israel that we will soon renew their trust in us."
Gantz, a centrist former general, joined the War Cabinet along with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant shortly after the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 as a sign of solidarity, but he clashes with the prime minister's right-wing policies. However, Gantz has not specified his position regarding a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu vehemently opposes.
Netanyahu has brushed aside calls for new elections, which are not required until October 2026, saying holding them during a war would only help Hamas. His Likud party chided Gantz for "engaging in petty politics'' and added, "Elections now will bring about paralysis, division, harm to the fighting in Rafah and a fatal blow to the chances of a hostage deal."
? Jorge L. Ortiz
Frankcom was 'an angel' in NYC during pandemic
Frankcom, an Australian chef among those killed Monday, is being remembered fondly in New York. Frankcom was cooking and delivering meals with SOMOS Community Care in 2020 during the pandemic, Dr. Ramon Tallaj, founder and chairman of SOMOS Community Care, told CBS News.
"People were dying and she was preparing the food," Tallaj said. "She was really a person that you could rely on in difficult times. Some people say she was an angel."
Frankcom's family issued a statement describing her as a "kind, selfless and outstanding human being" who traveled around the world to help others in need.
"She will leave behind a legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit," the statement said. "We are still reeling from the shock.”
Doctor who worked in Gaza walks out of Biden meeting
A Palestinian American doctor walked out of a scaled-back private meeting between Muslim leaders and President Joe Biden that was held Tuesday evening after several Arab Americans turned down an earlier White House invitation to attend a Ramadan dinner. The moment underscored the anger many in the Arab American community have toward Biden over his support for Israel in the war against Hamas.
Dr. Thaer Ahmad, an emergency doctor who has worked in the Gaza Strip during the war, was among a small group of Muslim leaders who met with Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and other White House officials Tuesday to discuss the administration's approach to the conflict.
Ahmad, in an interview with CNN, said he was the first to speak to Biden and told the president, "I am from a community that's reeling, we are grieving, and our heart is broken for what's been taking place over the last six months."
? Joey Garrison
Muslim leader leaves Biden meeting: Walks out in protest of Israel-Hamas war
'Shoot first, ask questions later'
A senior Israeli official told the Times of Israel that a culture has developed across much of the Israeli military that has soldiers “shooting first and asking questions later." The Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the culture was also evident in December when three Israeli hostages escaped their Hamas-led militant guards and were waving a white flag when they were fatally shot by the friendly fire of Israeli troops.
The December incident and Monday's tragedy were counter to the military rules of engagement, the official said, adding that Israeli soldiers are operating under immense pressure and difficult conditions.
White House waiting for results of Israeli investigation
The White House will wait to see the results of Israeli's investigation into the deaths of the seven WCK aid workers, including one American, before it considers taking action in response, a national security spokesman for President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday. Israel has already admitted that it conducted and is at fault for the strike that killed the workers, the National Security Council's John Kirby said.
"I think we need to let them finish that work and speak to it themselves," Kirby said. "We need to see what they learn and we need to see, just as importantly, what they do about what they learn, what changes they're willing to make, what accountability they're willing to observe. We're just not there yet."
Kirby said the U.S. is supporting Israel's ability to defend itself against the "still viable threat" of Hamas and the backing would continue. At the same time, he said the U.S. would like see Israel take greater precautions to prevent civilian casualties and has made its outrage about the attack known at the highest levels.
? Francesca Chambers
More than half of Gaza on the brink of famine, World Bank says
More than half the population of Gaza is on the brink of famine and the entire population of 2.3 million people is experiencing acute food insecurity and malnutrition, according to a report released this week by the World Bank and U.N. Over a million people are without homes and 75% of the population is displaced, the report says. The cost of damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza was estimated at $18.5 billion ? equal to 97% of the combined GDP of the West Bank and Gaza in 2022.
"With 84% of health facilities damaged or destroyed, and a lack of electricity and water to operate remaining facilities, the population has minimal access to health care, medicine, or life-saving treatments," the report says.
Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel pressed for answers after strike on aid workers in Gaza
