“President Herzog expressed his deep sadness and sincere apologies for the tragic death of the WCK crew last night in the Gaza Strip and extended his condolences to their families and loved ones,” a presidential statement read.
Herzog also detailed that he spoke with the founder of the NGO, the Spanish-American chef José Andres.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted today that the Israeli Army “unintentionally” killed seven WCK aid workers and said that the incident will be the subject of an exhaustive investigation.
The institution is one of two NGOs actively involved in delivering aid to Gaza by sea from Cyprus.
WCK described that one of its vehicles was attacked by the Israeli army while passing through Deir al Balah, in the center of the Gaza Strip, after leaving a warehouse where they had unloaded 100 tons of food, in a movement coordinated with the Israeli authorities.
The attack against humanitarian workers has already been condemned by the European Union and several countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium, which demanded explanations from Israel for the death of seven humanitarian workers.
The United States called on Tel Aviv for a “swift, thorough and impartial investigation.”
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, stressed that the death of the seven humanitarian workers “is an inevitable result of the way this war is being conducted”.
According to Dujarric, at least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed since October in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which he considered “one of the most dangerous and difficult workplaces in the world”.
