Israel must do more to let aid workers access Gaza, the British Government has warned, as a minister claims that working in the war-torn territory has only become more dangerous over time.
Tuesday marked the first anniversary of the drone attack on an aid convoy from the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), which killed three British workers and four others.
The Israeli military apologised for the deadly incident after an internal investigation, saying that it was a case of mistaken identity.
But one year on, the Middle East minister said that Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government was continuing to block aid from reaching Gaza and endangering the lives of those seeking to deliver it.
Writing for The i Paper, Hamish Falconer warned: “In the year since the World Central Kitchen strike, we have seen the environment for aid workers on the ground in Gaza deteriorate, and devastatingly worsen in the past weeks since the breakdown of the ceasefire.”
He urged Israel to stop the fighting and resume observing the ceasefire with Hamas, which was agreed earlier this year, as well as letting more aid into Gaza.
Falconer said: “Reports that the Israel Defence Forces are no longer operating a system that shields workers from attack are simply unjustifiable. Israel must ensure that humanitarian staff can carry out their work safely and securely. Not only have the lessons of the WCK tragedy not been learned, but things are going backwards. Humanitarians should not need to risk their lives to help civilians in need.”
The minister’s intervention represents the UK’s starkest warning to Israel about the need to allow aid into Gaza, and comes after the bodies of 14 aid workers were reported to have been discovered in a mass grave in the south of the besieged territory.
UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said in a post on X that the bodies were buried near “wrecked and well-marked vehicles”, adding: “They were killed by Israeli forces while trying to save lives. We demand answers and justice.”
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees, said on social media platform X that the bodies had been “discarded in shallow graves – a profound violation of human dignity”.
Lazzarini said the deaths brought the total number of aid workers killed since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to 408. In a statement late on Sunday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “appalled” at the deaths.
“Their bodies were identified today and have been recovered for dignified burial. These staff and volunteers were risking their own lives to provide support to others,” it said.
The Netanyahu government and Israel’s armed forces say that they are committed to upholding the safety and well-being of civilians but warn that it is necessary to guard against the infiltration of aid convoys by terrorist forces.
There have previously been incidents of looting and dangerous rioting as desperate individuals and profiteers greet deliveries of aid in large numbers.
Last month David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, warned in the Commons that Israel was committing a “breach of international law” by blocking aid and added: “Israel, quite rightly, must defend its own security, but we find the lack of aid – and it has now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying. We urge Israel to get back to the number of trucks we were seeing going in – way beyond 600 – so that Palestinians can get the necessary humanitarian support they need at this time.”
The Israeli government was contacted for comment.
Aid workers must be able to operate without fear in Gaza
By Hamish Falconer
Gaza is the deadliest place in the world to be an aid worker.
A year ago today, a World Central Kitchen convoy, providing much-needed food to those in need in Gaza was struck by an Israeli drone, tragically killing seven aid workers. This included British citizens John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby.
This was an appalling attack. In November, the Foreign Secretary and I met with the families of these brave individuals. We continue to pursue justice for them at the highest levels, with the Foreign Secretary recently calling on the Foreign Affairs Minister in Israel to swiftly ensure those responsible are held to account.
As we pay tribute to their bravery and remember that day, it is vital that we do everything we can to ensure humanitarian staff can carry out their life-saving work without fear. In the year since the World Central Kitchen strike, we have seen the environment for aid workers on the ground in Gaza deteriorate, and devastatingly worsen in the past weeks since the breakdown of the ceasefire. The UK Government strongly opposes Israel’s resumption of hostilities, which have led to terrible numbers of civilian casualties, including many children. We continue to call for a ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, free the hostages and end this conflict.
Workers from the UN, charities and other NGOs have come under fire, bringing the total number of aid workers who have been killed in the conflict to over 400. The great majority of those who have lost their lives are Palestinians, working with incredible bravery to relieve suffering within their communities. This has to stop.
In another horrific event over the weekend, the Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed that eight of its medics were killed in Rafah, with a ninth missing, while trying to provide first aid to people injured by shelling.
This cannot continue.
It is why, following the recent hit on UNOPS premises, alongside our French and German partners, we have called for a full independent investigation into what happened and accountability for those responsible.
Deconfliction systems are a crucial tool to help protect aid workers from attack during wartime. Reports that the Israeli Defence Forces are no longer operating a system that shields workers from attack are simply unjustifiable. Israel must ensure humanitarian staff can carry out their work safely and securely. Not only have the lessons of the WCK tragedy not been learned, but things are going backwards. Humanitarians should not need to risk their lives to help civilians in need.
The fact that the UN has now been forced to scale down its operations in Gaza because it is so unsafe for aid workers, will lead to even more suffering. This will only harm those desperately in need of food and medical support.
The UK Government takes this issue seriously. That’s why, last Friday the UK showed leadership in calling a session at the UN Security Council, alongside our French partners, to see how the international community can come together to protect aid workers in Gaza. The purpose of this meeting was to ensure Israel fully co-operates with any next steps on the UN’s own investigation, and carries out its own investigation into how and why this happened.
The ceasefire deal was the best chance we had seen to return the hostages to their families, surge aid in and bring this bloodshed to an end. We call on both Israel and Hamas to return to the deal urgently.
Hamish Falconer is the minister for the Middle East and Labour MP for Lincoln
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