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UK, Australia, and Canada Label Israel's Decision to Skip Criminal Investigation of World Central Kitchen Strike as Shameful

The United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada have jointly described Israel's decision not to launch a criminal investigation into the 2024 World Central Kitchen convoy strike as "shameful." The strike, which occurred on April 1, 2024, resulted in the deaths of seven humanitarian workers, including three British nationals, a Pole, an Australian, and a dual US-Canadian citizen. Israel's military defended the decision, stating that while the strike was a "tragic mistake" and a "serious failure" in the process, the commanders' decisions did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) noted that an armed guard was falsely identified as a Hamas fighter and the convoy deviated from the coordinated route. In response, World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres called the decision "wrong" and demanded an independent commission. The three nations, along with Poland, have pressed for accountability, urging Israel to comply with international humanitarian law. While the IDF declined to investigate the WCK strike, it announced it would proceed with criminal investigations into the killing of five-year-old Hind Rajab and 15 other Palestinians in March 2025.

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