Britain, Australia and Canada have jointly condemned Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal investigations into the 2024 air strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.
In a statement published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Friday, the three governments said they had spent more than two years pressing Israel for a swift and thorough examination of the incident and for those responsible to be held to account.
They described the Israeli military’s announcement of 19 August — that criminal investigations would not be opened into the strike — as "shameful", adding that the decision had been given without sufficient further explanation.
"The announcement by the IDF on 19 August 2026 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful."
The governments also called on Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law and said more must be done to ensure humanitarian personnel can work safely.
Seven aid workers killed
The dispute concerns Israeli strikes on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on 1 April 2024. Seven members of the charity’s team were killed, including three British nationals as well as aid workers from Australia, Poland, Palestine and a dual US-Canadian citizen.
World Central Kitchen said at the time that its team was travelling in vehicles bearing the organisation’s logo and that its movements had been coordinated with the Israeli military.
Israel accepted responsibility for the strikes and its initial military inquiry found serious operational failures, mistaken identification and breaches of procedure. Two officers were dismissed and others were reprimanded.
Israel says criminal threshold was not met
Following a further review, Israel’s military prosecution said there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify opening a criminal investigation or taking measures beyond the disciplinary action already imposed.
The Israeli account said troops mistakenly believed that Hamas operatives had taken control of the convoy. Israel has maintained that the deaths were an unintended consequence of grave errors rather than a deliberate attack on aid workers.
World Central Kitchen rejected the latest conclusion and renewed its demand for an independent investigation. Australia and Canada have also criticised the outcome, while Poland has summoned Israel’s ambassador and is continuing its own inquiry into the death of Polish aid worker Damian Soból.
Another public disagreement
The joint statement represents another unusually direct public criticism of Israel by the British Government in the space of several days. It is separate from the recent dispute over proposed settlement construction in the occupied West Bank.
The wording is notably severe, but the statement does not announce sanctions or any other immediate change in British policy. Its practical effect, for now, is renewed diplomatic pressure for accountability and greater protection for humanitarian workers.
No fresh public response from the Israeli Government to the three-country statement had been identified at the time of publication. Israel’s position remains that its military justice system examined the case and found that the evidential threshold for a criminal investigation had not been met.
Sources
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office statement
- The Guardian: UK, Australia and Canada criticise Israel’s decision
- Reuters: Poland responds to the closure of the case
