Full Breakdown
Former Israeli Prime Minister Calls for Charges Over 2024 Gaza Drone Strike Killing Australian Aid Workers
By Drooid · · How we work
The April 2024 Drone Strike and Its Casualties
On April 2, 2024, an Israeli drone strike in central Gaza hit a convoy delivering food for the World Central Kitchen charity. The attack killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, 43, and six of her colleagues. Photographs later showed the wrecked vehicle with the organization’s logo in Deir al-Balah.
Calls for Accountability
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert – who led Israel from 2006 to 2009 – said the Israeli military bears “terrible criminal responsibility” for the strike and urged that the officers who ordered it be court-martialed. He joined calls from legal experts, independent MPs and the families of the victims for an international criminal investigation, likening it to the probe launched after the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Australian officials have suggested that the Australian Federal Police could open a war-crimes inquiry, and Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada have been urged to pursue a joint investigation.
Official Statements & Responses
Israel’s Military Advocate General announced that it would not open a criminal investigation into the strike, a decision described by the Australian government as “an outrage.” Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said Australia remains “outraged” by the lack of charges and will continue pressing Israel for justice. Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, rejected Olmert’s criticism, stating that the investigation was thorough and that the aid workers were not intentionally targeted.
Expert and Parliamentary Commentary
Don Rothwell, an international-law specialist at the Australian National University, called Olmert’s intervention “very powerful” and noted Israel’s historic reluctance to prosecute its soldiers for alleged war crimes. Independent senator David Pocock and MP Zali Steggall advocated an “MH17-style” inquiry to independently test evidence and determine accountability.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I think that charges should have been pressed long ago against those responsible,” — Ehud Olmert, israeli prime minister
- “Australia has been clear that it is outraged by the decision not to pursue criminal charges against those responsible for killing Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues,” — Penny Wong, death foreign minister
