Australia says relations with Israel 'difficult' after aid worker death

SYDNEY, Australia: Australia’s top diplomat Penny Wong on Thursday said relations with Israel were “difficult” after it dropped a probe into the killing of aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom and her colleagues in Gaza.

Australian national Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed in April 2024 when their aid convoy was hit by an Israeli air strike.

Their deaths triggered global outrage and a renewed push to ensure the safety of aid workers in Gaza.

Israel’s military announced this week that criminal investigations would not be launched into their deaths, sparking outrage from the Australian government.

Foreign Minister Wong summoned Israel’s ambassador Hillel Newman over the decision, which she described as “especially insulting and hurtful” as it was announced on World Humanitarian Day.

She has also asked Canberra’s envoy in the country to “convey our views directly” to the government there.

Speaking to journalists after meeting with the Israeli envoy, Wong said “we do not have confidence” in the country’s investigation into the killings.

“The Australian government will continue to keep pressing Israel for justice,” Wong said.

Israel’s envoy Newman told journalists in Canberra following their meeting he expressed “deep sorrow and grief” to Frankcom’s family.

But he insisted: “Israel had no intention to attack or injure in any way the aid workers that were on the convoy.”

“The decision is that there’s no criminal liability. We must respect that conclusion,” he said.

And he complained there were “a lot of haters of Israel in Australia”.

The founder of World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres, said on X that the decision was “wrong and is painful for all of us. There was no excuse for their attacks on our team”.

The US-based charity called the decision “inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive”, and demanded an independent commission to investigate.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said that the military had “unintentionally” killed the volunteers.