Australia on Thursday condemned Israel’s decision to close its criminal investigation into the deaths of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza in April 2024.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the decision a serious setback for accountability and said relationsbetween Canberra and Tel Aviv were going through a “difficult time”.
Australia summoned Israeli Ambassador Hillel Newman to Parliament House after Israel’s decision to clear its soldiers over the strike, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“Obviously, this is a difficult time in a relationship. We made our views clear about this issue,” Wong told reporters after the meeting.
She said Australia was “realistic” about the Israeli government’s response to its concerns, but stressed that Frankcom was killed in three separate strikes targeting a humanitarian convoy.
Wong said Israel’s decision to clear the soldiers effectively meant that a criminal investigation would not proceed.
She said the decision failed to address key questions raised during the inquiry and reiterated the Australian government’s demand for Israel to release drone footage of the strike.
Asked whether Australia would take further action, Wong said the government would consult Frankcom’s family.
“The Australian Government learned of Israel’s decision late last night, moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day - which is especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians,” Wong said in an earlier statement.
“This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect,” she added.
Frankcom, an Australian national, was killed alongside six other World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza in April 2024 when an Israeli airstrike hit their convoy.
The vehicles were clearly marked as belonging to the humanitarian organisation.
Wong said the Israeli military had acknowledged that the strikes were the result of serious failures to follow its procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making.
She said Australia would continue to press Israel to ensure accountability, arguing that democratic countries should hold themselves to higher standards.
The dispute has added to tensions in relations between Australia and Israel over the handling of the deaths of humanitarian workers in Gaza.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
The 83rd Venice Film Festival has opened on the Lido, bringing Hollywood stars and leading filmmakers together for a programme dominated by war, po...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Thousands of residents of Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the government’s handling of a migration crisis that followed a deadly border surge in July.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Southern Chinese provinces were bracing for more torrential rain on Friday after Typhoon Saudel triggered severe flooding, swamping vehicles, collapsing at least one building and forcing mass evacuations.
President Donald Trump is leaving more than a paper trail from his time in office. The U.S. is now minting commemorative $1 coins for America’s 250th anniversary, featuring a portrait of the sitting president.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment