The Canadian government has issued a sharp condemnation of the Israeli military’s decision to halt a criminal investigation into an April 2024 strike that resulted in the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian aid workers. Among those killed was Jacob Flickinger, a Canadian citizen. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand labeled the decision to close the case as "unacceptable" during a statement on Thursday.
Anand emphasized that the military strike involved "serious failures" and argued that concluding the investigation without achieving further accountability denies the victims' families the answers they have sought for more than two years. She reiterated that individuals providing life-saving food and assistance in conflict zones must be ensured protection. The Canadian diplomat affirmed that her government expects international humanitarian law to be upheld and will continue to advocate for a full accounting of the incident to secure justice for the seven deceased workers and their families.
The Israeli military announced on Wednesday that it would pursue investigations into two suspected war-crimes cases in Gaza while simultaneously closing three other high-profile inquiries, including the probe into the WCK attack. The tragedy occurred in April 2024 when Israeli forces struck a WCK convoy shortly after the team had unloaded 100 tonnes of food brought into besieged Gaza by sea.
According to World Central Kitchen, the Israeli military tracked the convoy for nearly two kilometres, striking each of the three vehicles in succession. The organization noted that the vehicles were clearly marked with bright WCK logos and that the military was fully aware of their movements. These seven workers—who held Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish, and dual US-Canadian citizenship—were killed despite what the organization described as "clear communication" with the Israeli military regarding their presence and route.
