'Outraged': Biden Pulls Up Israel Over Killing Of Aid Workers In Gaza, Netanyahu Says Airstrike 'Unintentional'

US President Joe Biden condemned the death of seven aid workers in Gaza who were killed in an Israeli airstrike, calling for a swift investigation into the incident.

Bodies of World Central Kitchen workers who were killed by Israeli air strikes on April 02, 2024 in Rafah, Gaza

Source : Getty

United State President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the killing of seven aid workers in Gaza saying he was "outraged and heartbroken" over the deaths of the humanitarian workers. The Israeli airstrike on the World Central Kitchen convoy killed citizens of Australia, Britain and Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, said the Hamas-run government's media office on Monday.

In a statement, Biden said: "I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy." 

The US President demanded that Israel conduct a swift investigation into the incident and bring accountability while making the findings public.

Biden also blamed Israel for "not doing enough" to protect aid workers "trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians", attributing it as the "major reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza has been so difficult." 

Urging Israel to "deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian operations", Biden said, "Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians." 

"I will continue to press Israel to do more to facilitate that aid. And we are pushing hard for an immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal," he said. 

Biden also spoke with Chef José Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen to convey condolences for the deaths of the aid workers, the statement added.

'Unintentionally Harmed' Aid Workers: Netanyahu

Meanwhile, in the face of mounting calls for explanations and widespread condemnation by the US and other allies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the airstrike "mistakenly" killed the aid workers, reported Reuters.

Israel's military voiced "sincere sorrow" over the incident which escalated the international pressure to ease the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza since the October 7 war which has killed at least 32,782 Palestinians in the besieged enclave. 

"Unfortunately in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said in a video statement. 

"This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence," he added. 

Sunak, Albanese Condemn Killings

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dialled Netanyahu on Tuesday and said that Britain was "appalled" by the deaths which included three British nationals, as per the Reuters report. Sunak demanded a thorough and independent investigation into the incident, said his office.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also expressed his "anger and concern" to Netanyahu in a separate call.