The US Is Furious With Israeli Attacks That Killed Aid Workers

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. (Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony J. Rivera)

JAKARTA - United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed his grid while speaking with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, regarding the attack on a convoy of humanitarian aid that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers this week.

"Minister Austin stressed the need to take immediate concrete action to protect Palestinian aid workers and civilians in Gaza after repeatedly failing to coordinate with foreign aid groups," the Pentagon said, as the US Department of Defense said in a statement. Antara from Anadolu, Thursday, April 4.

Austin asked Gallant to conduct a rapid and transparent investigation, announce their conclusions to the public, and hold those involved accountable.

Austin said the tragedy raised concerns about Israel's planned military operations in Rafah.

The statement described the deaths of the seven workers in Gaza as "tragedy" and complicated efforts to increase the availability of humanitarian aid.

"Minister Austin is also pushing for a rapid increase in aid delivered through all crossings in the coming days, particularly to people in northern Gaza who are threatened with starvation," the statement read.

The workers killed in the Israeli attack were Australians, Polish, British, Palestinian, and a person with dual US-Canadian citizenship.

According to WCK, although they had coordinated with the Israeli army, their convoy was attacked when it left a warehouse in Deir al-Balah City in southern Gaza, where the team dropped more than 100 tons of food aid to Gaza.

The non-governmental organization previously asked Australia, Canada, the United States, Poland, and Britain to demand an independent investigation into the attack.

Israel has launched military attacks on the Gaza Strip since cross-border attacks by Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7 which killed about 1,200 people.

Israel's retaliatory attack has killed nearly 33,000 Palestinians and caused mass destruction, prompted evacuation and hunger in the Israeli-warmed enclave.