Israel clears itself in killing of Canadian during airstrikes on World Central Kitchen convoy
Canada's foreign affairs minister calls decision not to investigate 'unacceptable'
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minister → clear → decision
Israel has concluded its military did not commit a criminal act when it killed a Canadian and six other aid workers in Gaza two years ago.
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it → conclude → Gaza
Israel's military prosecutor said it had decided against a criminal investigation into April 2024 airstrikes in Gaza that hit a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles.
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that → say → vehicles
The strikes killed Jacob Flickinger, a military veteran from Quebec, along with a Palestinian and aid workers from the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States.
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strikes → kill → Kingdom
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand called that decision "unacceptable" in a statement on Thursday.
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Anand → call → Thursday
"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," she said, adding that humanitarian workers in conflict zones must be protected.
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workers → identify → zones
"Canada expects international humanitarian law to be upheld and will continue pressing for a full accounting of what happened, along with justice for the seven workers who were killed and their families."
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who → expect → workers
World Central Kitchen, which distributes food in Gaza, said at the time it had co-ordinated with the military over the convoy's movement.
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it → distribute → movement
The vehicles, which had the group's logo on their roofs visible from the air, were left incinerated and mangled.
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which → have → air
Wednesday's military statement said individuals in the vehicles were mistakenly identified as armed Hamas operatives.
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individuals → say → operatives
But it concluded that the commanders' decisions "did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct."
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decisions → conclude → misconduct
At the time, two officers were removed from their positions and three others reprimanded.
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others → remove → positions
World Central Kitchen responded in a statement saying the military's account of the strike was untrue, "conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story and shifts the blame."
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account → respond → blame
It called for an independent investigation.
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It → call → investigation
The decision prompted outrage in Australia, where the foreign minister summoned the Israeli ambassador.
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minister → prompt → ambassador
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the removals and reprimands of officers weren't sufficient accountability for the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
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removals → say → Frankcom
"This is despite Israel Defense Forces admissions that the IDF strikes on Zomi and her colleagues' vehicles were the result of serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making," says a statement from Wong posted on the Australian government website.
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statement → follow → website
She said the decision was "especially insulting" because it was announced on World Humanitarian Day.
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it → say → Day
Parents of Quebecer killed in Gaza say Israeli strike was 'targeted killing of aid workers'
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strike → kill → workers
Israel opens criminal probes over killings of 6-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, Gaza rescue workers
Israeli strikes kill two in Gaza and destroy warehouses storing medicine
"
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strikes → open → medicine
I will call in Israel's ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman and have directed Australia's ambassador to Israel to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian government considers next steps," Wong said.
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Wong → call → steps
The Israeli military also announced Wednesday it had decided not to take criminal action over the killings of four staffers from Doctors Without Borders in two separate instances in November 2023 and February 2024.
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it → announce → November
Following the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers in 2024, then prime minister Justin Trudeau called for a probe beyond the Israeli military itself.
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Trudeau → follow → military
"We need a fully open, transparent, independent and rapid investigation into what happened," he said at an event in Winnipeg.
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he → need → Winnipeg
Trudeau also strongly pushed back on a suggestion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at that time, that collateral deaths are a normal part of war.
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deaths → push → war
"It shouldn't just happen when you have aid workers for an extraordinary organization like World Central Kitchen, risking their lives every day in an incredibly dangerous place, to deliver food to people who are experiencing a horrific humanitarian catastrophe," Trudeau said.
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Trudeau → happen → catastrophe
On Wednesday, prior to Anand's statement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East wrote that Prime Minister Mark Carney's silence on the findings could "allow Israel to get away with the murder of a Canadian aid worker, with no consequences."
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Israel → write → consequences
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