/ Sep 03, 2026
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Australia summoned Israel’s ambassador on Thursday and expressed outrage over the Israeli military’s decision not to pursue criminal proceedings over the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, in a 2024 Gaza airstrike.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision failed to meet the level of accountability Canberra expected.
“This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect,” Wong said, adding that Australia was outraged by the outcome.
She said Australia would continue pressing Israel to pursue justice for Frankcom and her colleagues. Wong also instructed Australia’s envoy in Israel to communicate Canberra’s position directly to the Israeli government as the government considers its next steps.
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The Israeli military said on Wednesday that its fact-finding and assessment process had found no basis for a criminal investigation into the deaths.
The April 2024 strike killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen charity. The victims included citizens of Australia, Britain and Poland, along with Palestinians and a dual US-Canadian citizen.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, said the investigation found no criminal liability among the soldiers involved, although it identified operational failures within the military.
“It was a mistake, in retrospect,” Newman told reporters in Canberra after meeting Wong. He said investigators found no criminal intent and no intention to target aid workers.
Newman said the aid convoy had deviated from a pre-approved route and may have carried armed personnel. According to his account, Israeli forces believed the convoy had been taken over by Hamas.
The findings have intensified pressure on Israel over accountability for military operations that have killed civilians and humanitarian workers during the Gaza war.
The conflict, which began in 2023, has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to the figures cited in the report. Aid workers, doctors, journalists and other civilians are among those killed.
Israel says its military operations target Hamas and Hezbollah militants and maintains that it investigates some attacks involving civilian deaths.
Australia’s latest diplomatic action reflects growing pressure from Canberra for greater accountability over the deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza.
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