Australia 'outraged' after Israeli decision not to prosecute over killing of aid worker in Gaza

Image source, PA MediaImage caption, Zomi Frankcom was an aid worker with World Central Kitchen

Australia's foreign minister has said she is "outraged" over an Israeli government decision not to prosecute those responsible for the death of aid worker Zomi Frankcom, who was killed in an IDF strike.

Frankcom was an Australian aid worker with World Central Kitchen (WCK) who was killed in Gaza with six other colleagues by an Israeli airstrike in April 2024.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and that she would call in the Israeli ambassador.

Australia would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues", she said in a statement on Thursday.

Wong said the Australian government had learned of Israel's decision late on Wednesday night, adding that the outcome was "especially insulting" as it occurred on World Humanitarian Day.

"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," she said.

"This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect."

Wong said the government would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues".

"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's comments mark one of the strongest censures of the Israeli military by Australia since the war in Gaza began, reflecting broader international condemnation of the WCK attack.

Australian former defence force chief Mark Binskin handed down a report in August 2024 that found "serious failures" in the IDF's procedures led to the killing of Frankcom. Three British nationals, a Palestinian, a Pole and a dual US-Canadian citizen were also killed in the attack.

At the time, the IDF called the attack on the aid convoy a "grave mistake".

The IDF's Frankcom decision contrasts with its separate announcement that it would carry out a criminal investigation into the killing of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza in 2024.

Israel's military said that its soldiers opened fire at the ambulance in which she was being transported after suffering injuries in an earlier attack.

Israel confirms soldiers fired at car in which Hind Rajab was killed and opens criminal investigation

Delivering food in a warzone: The story behind World Central Kitchen

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