April 2, 2024 - Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has moved here.

The family of an Australian aid worker killed in Gaza says she leaves a "legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit."

A statement issued by Zomi Frankcom's family said they are "deeply mourning the news that our brave and beloved Zomi has been killed doing the work she loves delivering food to the people of Gaza.

"She was a kind, selfless and outstanding human being that has traveled the world helping others in their time of need. She will leave behind a legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit,” the Frankcom family said in a statement to CNN affiliate Channel 9.

It added that the family was “still reeling from the shock” and has asked for “privacy during this difficult time".

Foreign nationals were among the seven aid workers from the non-profit World Central Kitchen killed in an Israeli military strike on Tuesday as they were delivering food to starving civilians in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters during a press conference in Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for full accountability for the deaths and said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was working to have her body returned to Australia.

“This is someone who volunteered in Australia to help people during the bushfires... (and) was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza,” Albanese said of Zomi.

An Israeli strike in Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers has touched off fury and indignation inside the White House, prompting President Joe Biden on Tuesday to release a public statement using a word he has rarely invoked over the course of the tragedy-ridden conflict: “Outraged.”

The deaths of the workers who were delivering food to starving civilians in the besieged enclave — including one dual US-Canadian citizen – has frustrated Biden and his top officials to a new level, a senior administration official told CNN. 

The strike has been a “standout incident” as far as the White House is concerned, the official said, prompting serious consternation and concern in what had already been a moment of high tensions between the US and Israel. 

The president discussed the deaths of the workers with a small group of Muslim community leaders at the White House Tuesday, according to one of the attendees. Some of the participants were doctors who had spent time in Gaza and had seen first-hand the plight of the Palestinian civilians there. One of them, CNN reported, walked out of the meeting early in a show of protest.

“The president expressed that this is a very difficult situation and that he would like to see an end to this war,” said Salima Suswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council. “The conversation was difficult at moments.”

Asked about Biden blaming Israel for failing to protect civilians and aid workers in his statement, a senior adviser to the president told CNN: “It’s what he wanted to say.”

 

A spokesperson for Israel's prime minister said Tuesday that the country takes responsibility for its mistakes, referring to the killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in central Gaza.

Tal Heinrich noted that Israel is still waiting for the findings of an investigation into the killings.

"When Israel makes mistakes, even the most tragic ones to admit, we take responsibility," he told CNN's Erin Burnett.
"We admit to the most painful incidents, so we tell the truth, even when it's the most inconvenient thing to stay," Heinrich added.

Israel Defense Force's chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi apologized Tuesday for the airstrikes that killed seven aid workers in Gaza, calling it “a mistake that followed a misidentification.” He said the fatal incident is being investigated.

US President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the killings of the humanitarian aid workers, adding that Israel has “not done enough to protect civilians.”

The charity, World Central Kitchen, on Tuesday shared the identities of those who were killed: John Chapman, 57; James (Jim) Henderson, 33; James Kirby, 47; Jacob Flickinger, 33; Damian Sobol; Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom and Saifeddin Issam.

Here are other headlines you should know:

• More on Israel's strike on aid workers: A friend of one of the aid workers who was killed, Zomi Frankcom, remembered her as someone who met people with a smile when they were experiencing the darkest time of their lives. Also, American Near East Refugee Aid workers inside Gaza fear they will be targeted following the strike on the WCK workers, according to the charity's Palestine Country Director Sandra Rasheed.
• Official reactions: During a phone call with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Britain’s Rishi Sunak “demanded a thorough and transparent independent investigation" and said he was appalled by the attack. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had a “reasonably long” phone call with Netanyahu early Wednesday during which he said Netanyahu expressed his condolences for the death of Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and “committed to full transparency” in the investigation into the strike.
• Damascus aftermath: The US assesses that Israel carried out the fatal airstrike Monday in Damascus on what Iran has said was a consulate building, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said. Iran and Syria also accused Israel of authoring the attack, with Tehran warning of a “serious response,” and the powerful Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah saying the strike would be met with “punishment and revenge.” Iran also said it would hold the US “answerable” due to its support of Israel. The Biden administration reiterated Tuesday that it was not involved in the airstrike.
• More from the Biden administration: The Biden administration has come under immense scrutiny domestically, and from members of the US government workforce, for its policy on Israel and the Gaza war. Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the start of National Arab American Heritage Month in a statement Tuesday by noting that it comes “at a time of immense pain.” Underscoring the high tensions, a Palestinian-American doctor on Tuesday walked out of a meeting with Biden before it was over "out of respect" for his community. He told CNN he was disappointed that he was the only Palestinian in attendance.
• Jerusalem protestors: Some anti-government protesters Tuesday breached security barriers near Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence, according to social media videos. Israeli police said most of the demonstrators behaved lawfully, but noted that some were "disorderly" as they tried to approach the leader's home. Israeli media reported several arrests.
• Renewed request: The Palestinian Authority sent the UN secretary-general a letter renewing its request for UN membership, according to a post on social media from the Palestinian permanent observer mission to the UN on Tuesday.

US President Joe Biden said he is “outraged and heartbroken” after an Israeli air strike in Gaza killed seven aid workers Monday. He admitted the strike was “not a stand-alone incident” and that Israel has “not done enough to protect civilians.”

“They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war,” Biden wrote in a statement Tuesday. “They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.”

He wrote that Israel had “pledged to conduct a thorough investigation” into the incident, but that the “investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public.”

“Even more tragically, this is not a stand-alone incident,” Biden wrote. “This conflict has been one of the worst in recent memory in terms of how many aid workers have been killed. This is a major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult – because Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians.”

He said that incidents like this “simply should not happen,” and that “Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.”

The World Central Kitchen (WCK) shared the identities of the seven aid workers who were killed by an Israeli strike in central Gaza on Monday.

In a post on X on Tuesday, the aid group revealed the victims to be:

• John Chapman, 57,a United Kingdom citizen on the security team.
• James (Jim) Henderson, 33, a UK citizen on the security team.
• James Kirby, 47, a UK citizen on the security team.
• Jacob Flickinger, 33, a US-Canadian dual citizen on the relief team.
• Damian Sobol, 35, a Polish citizen on the relief team.
• Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43, an Australian citizen and a lead on the relief team.
• Saifeddin Issam, 25, a Palestinian on the relief team.

“These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories,” WCK quoted CEO Erin Gore.

The IDF said the incident is being investigated and that the strike was a "grave mistake" and that it did not intend to harm the aid workers.

A Palestinian-American doctor walked out of a meeting with US President Joe Biden before it was over Tuesday evening, underscoring the high tensions, anger and concern from Arab, Palestinian and Muslim-American communities around the Israel-Hamas war. 

Dr. Thaer Ahmad, an emergency physician from Chicago who traveled to Gaza earlier this year, told CNN he abruptly left the meeting that included Vice President Kamala Harris, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, other administration officials and a small group of Muslim community leaders.  

Following the meeting, a White House official said in a statement that the president and vice president "know this is a deeply painful moment for many in the Muslim and Arab communities.”

Biden, the official said, expressed commitment “to continue working to secure an immediate ceasefire as part of a deal to free the hostages and significantly increase humanitarian aid into Gaza.”

Ahmad traveled to Gaza as part of a delegation of doctors from the NGO MedGlobal, working in the city of Khan Younis as fighting raged around the Al Nasser hospital. He discussed his experience there, citing massive numbers of displaced, injured and dying people, and he spoke out against an expected Israeli offensive in Rafah.

“I said it was disappointing I’m the only Palestinian here, and out of respect for my community, I’m going to leave,” Ahmad said he told the president.  

Before he left, he handed Biden a letter from an 8-year-old orphaned girl, Hadeel, who lives in Rafah.  

“I beg you, President Biden, stop them from entering Rafah,” a translation of the letter shared with CNN says. Hadeel is referring to Israel's declared plan to enter the southern Gaza city, which the US has said Israel should not do without a comprehensive plan to protect civilian lives.

Biden told him he understood that he needed to leave, Ahmad said. 

CNN previously reported that what was supposed to be an iftar dinner to break the Ramadan fast was changed to a meeting because participants didn’t feel comfortable having a celebratory meal while hundreds of thousands in Gaza are on the brink of famine.

The post was updated with comments from a White House official. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had a “reasonably long” phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early Wednesday.

It’s the first time the leaders had spoken since seven aid workers, including one Australian national, were killed in an Israel Defense Forces strike on Tuesday.

The IDF said the strike was a "mistake that followed a misidentification," did not intend to harm the aid workers and was a "grave mistake."

Albanese said Netanyahu expressed his condolences for the death of Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and “committed to full transparency” over Israel’s investigation into the incident.

Separately, he said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has spoken to her Israeli counterpart and expressed that Australians were “outraged” about the incident.

In a statement Tuesday, Wong said the “death of any aid worker is outrageous and unacceptable.” 

The government calls for a “thorough and expeditious review,” she said.

“We expect full accountability for these deaths,” she added.