Canada has strongly denounced the Israeli military's decision to close its criminal investigation into the April 2024 airstrikes that killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian workers in Gaza, including a Canadian citizen.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand described the Israeli military's decision on Thursday as "unacceptable." Her statement highlighted the lack of accountability for the deadly incident, which claimed the life of dual US-Canadian citizen Jacob Flickinger alongside six other aid workers.
"Serious failures were identified in the conduct of the strike, and closing the case without further accountability leaves their families without the answers they have sought for more than two years," Anand said. She added that "humanitarian workers delivering food and other life-saving assistance in conflict zones must be protected." Anand emphasized that Canada expects international humanitarian law to be upheld and will continue to press for a full accounting and justice for the families of the victims.
The diplomatic backlash follows an announcement by the Israeli military on Wednesday. The military stated it would launch investigations into two suspected war-crimes cases in Gaza, while simultaneously closing three other high-profile inquiries, including the investigation into the strike on the WCK convoy.
The fatal attack occurred in April 2024 after the WCK team had finished unloading 100 tonnes of food brought to Gaza by sea. According to WCK, the Israeli military tracked the convoy for nearly two kilometers, launching consecutive strikes on each of the three cars in the convoy. The vehicles were clearly marked with WCK's brightly colored logos, and the organization had communicated their exact movements to the military.
The seven deceased workers included Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish, and dual US-Canadian nationals. WCK has maintained that there was "clear communication" established with the Israeli military prior to the convoy's journey.
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