Australian chief says the loss of life of Australian assist employee is ‘utterly unacceptable’.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has demanded “full accountability” over the loss of life of Australian assist employee Zomi Frankcom in Gaza.
Frankcom was considered one of 4 worldwide assist employees that Palestinian officers say have been killed together with their Palestinian driver on Monday in an Israeli air assault in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah.
Talking at a information convention in Brisbane, Albanese mentioned Frankcom’s loss of life was “utterly unacceptable” and “past any affordable circumstances”.
“This information as we speak is tragic. DFAT have additionally requested a call-in from the Israeli ambassador as effectively,” Albanese mentioned, referring to Australia’s Division of Overseas Affairs and Commerce.
“We would like full accountability for this. It is a tragedy that ought to by no means have occurred.”
“The reality is that that is past any affordable circumstances that somebody going about offering assist and humanitarian help ought to lose their life and there have been 4 assist employees in addition to a Palestinian driver on this automobile,” Albanese added.
Albanese additionally reiterated requires a “sustainable ceasefire”.
“Australians need to see an finish to this battle,” he mentioned.
DFAT mentioned earlier in an announcement that Australia has been “very clear that we count on humanitarian employees in Gaza to have protected and unimpeded entry to do their lifesaving work”.
Frankcom had labored on the United States-based assist organisation World Central Kitchen since 2019, most lately serving as senior supervisor for Asia operations in Bangkok, based on her LinkedIn profile.
These killed in Monday’s assault additionally embody a Polish and United Kingdom nationwide, based on Gaza officers.
WCK founder Jose Andres confirmed on social media that “a number of” of the organisation’s employees had been killed in an Israel air assault, saying he was “heartbroken and grieving for his or her households and buddies and our entire WCK household”.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, the place the deceased’s stays have been taken, mentioned she had spoken with the help employees earlier within the day.
“Everybody within the hospital is amazed and astonished, they don’t consider Israeli forces focused internationals,” Khoudary mentioned.
The Israeli army has mentioned it’s investigating “to grasp all of the circumstances of the incident” and that it makes “intensive efforts to allow the protected supply of humanitarian assist”.
