International food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) is suspending its operations in Gaza following the death of seven of its workers in an Israeli air strike.
The charity said those killed were part of an aid convoy that was leaving a warehouse in central Gaza on Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was conducting a “thorough review” into the incident.
Gaza’s Hamas-run media office also blamed Israel.
WCK is one of the main suppliers of desperately needed aid to Gaza.
It said that it would “be making decisions about the future of [its] work soon”.
According to the charity, the aid convoy was hit while leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, “where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.”
The convoy was made up of three vehicles, including two that were armoured. The BBC understands that all three were hit in the strike.
WCK said it had coordinated the convoy’s movements with the IDF when it was hit.
A Palestinian medical source told the BBC the workers had been wearing bullet-proof vests bearing the WCK logo.
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it had recovered all seven bodies from the scene of the incident following a “challenging operation spanning several hours”.
The humanitarian group added that the bodies had been taken to the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital in southern Gaza in preparation for their evacuation through the Rafah border crossing.
The IDF on Tuesday said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest level to understand the circumstances of the “tragic incident”.
“We will get to the bottom of this and we will share our findings transparently,” IDF spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari vowed.
“The work of WCK is critical; they are on the frontlines of humanity.”
Mr Hagari added that the IDF had “been working closely with the World Central Kitchen to assist them in fulfilling their noble mission of helping bring food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
According to WCK, the workers who died were Australian, Polish, British, Palestinian and a dual US-Canadian citizen.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we – World Central Kitchen and the world – lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF,” the charity’s CEO Erin Gore said in a statement.
“The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished”.
Source: BBC
