Netanyahu says Israel ‘unintentionally’ struck assist workers

The World Central Kitchen is pausing its Gaza operations after seven of its workers were killed in an air strike, leaving even fewer options for Palestinians on the brink of famine. They had just finished unloading 100 tons of food at a warehouse in central Gaza.

When the group says they cars were hit by an Israeli strike. Here's what the Israeli prime minister had to say. Unfortunately, in the last day, that was a tragic incident where our forces unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip.

It happens in war and we are thoroughly investigating it. We are in contact with the government and will do everything to prevent such occurrences in the future. Location issue or World Central Kitchen has been feeding starving residents of Gaza.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. CNN's Melissa Bell is in Jerusalem. Melissa, with devastating news for World Central Kitchen aid workers. What more do we know about the strike and importantly, also the messaging from Israel right now?.

What we've heard is that they were in touch with the IDF. They knew the route, but clearly something went wrong. And right now we just don't know what. That's right. In fact, we've just been hearing from the IDF. Elaine is saying that its top.

General is personally going to review the information as it comes in, as part of what's been described to us as the high level probe that is being launched to try and figure out what went on. As you say,.

According to World Central Kitchen, this was a convoy in a conflicted part of Gaza. It had been delivering 100 tons of aid to a warehouse. The convoy was then leaving when it was hit. And when you look at those pictures of the aftermath.

Of the strike, you can see on the armored armored car, the World Central Kitchen logo clearly exposed. So that will now be the subject of an investigation by the IDF. But, of course, the fact that the World Central Kitchen.

That has paid, as you say, such a crucial role in getting aid out to the hungry in Gaza. And it is bear in mind that it is 2.2 million people, according to the U.N., that are at danger of hunger and half of the population of Gaza. That is now facing famine.

So this was critically needed aid coming to people who desperately needed it. The World Central Kitchen has played a crucial role because even as the land crossings have remained very difficult for so much of the aid that agencies are trying to get in,.

They had been delivering it by sea. So ships coming in from Cyprus delivering the aid to a jetty that has been made off the edge of northern Gaza. And what we understand, Elaine, is that that aid that had just been delivered to.

The warehouse was indeed aid that had just been delivered to Gaza by maritime route. So the fact that World Central Kitchen is pausing its operations really a devastating blow to the overall humanitarian picture in the Gaza Strip. Yeah, I mean,.

It's really devastating to see the images and the aftermath of the strike. Melissa, I also want to understand in terms of where to from here, the IDF says they're going to be embarking on an investigation at the highest level.

You've got the US voicing their concern. The Australian Prime Minister also saying that there needs to be accountability. I guess everyone here needs to find out exactly what happened in these sort of matters. How quickly will we hear from the IDF.

In terms of understanding why the strike happened on something that was clearly marked as aid workers? I suspect that the answers are going to have to come pretty quickly, Elaine, because as you suggest,.

It was the diverse background of these workers. There was a an American Canadian citizen, a British citizen, a British citizen, an Australian citizen, a Palestinian as well. And you've heard outrage expressed from all of their home countries,.

Including the White House, which has spoken of its sorrow and concern about what might have gone on. So the these countries are asking and questions, as are the UN agencies that have so desperately been trying to get aid in and raise.

Alarm bells about what's going on inside the Gaza Strip. We've been hearing, Elaine, from the head of the UN's agency that deals with relief in the occupied territories, pointing out that this is far from an isolated incident.

It is 196 aid workers, he says, that have been killed so far since the war began across the occupied territories. And that is a reminder of how very dangerous this work is at a time when it is in pressingly desperately needed, of course. We've been hearing repeatedly.

From the IDF, from the Israeli side, any of their attempts to increase the amount of aid getting in to work with the aid agencies as they try to bring relief. But in terms of what's happening on the ground, we continue to hear from the UN.

Agencies desperate pleas for more to get in, get in. And in this particular case, what appears to be a failure on the IDF side to work with these humanitarian aid workers. So I believe that we will have to be getting answers.

Fairly quickly from them, given the amount of outrage that's been expressed. We've been hearing from also the head of the UN's relief agency across the world, Speaking of these workers as heroes.

Who are bringing aid to starving people. And I think the pressure on Israel is now ratcheted up another notch to try and give answers, but also to try and get more aid in safely. Any.

Sharing is caring!