Rishi Sunak has called for a “thorough and transparent investigation” after three British citizens were among seven aid workers killed in an IDF airstrike on a Gaza food convoy.

The prime minister called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say that “too many aid workers and ordinary civilians are losing their lives in Gaza” and that the situation there was “increasingly intolerable.”

The White House said it was also “outraged” by the incident, which resulted in the deaths of staff and volunteers at World Central Kitchen (WCK), a charity that was delivering food to hungry Palestinians.

The charity had just unloaded 100 tons of food aid from a barge that had sailed from Cyprus when Israel attacked its convoy on the coastal road in Deir al-Bala, Gaza, on Monday night. The company said on Tuesday it would suspend all work in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The confirmed victims include Australian Zomi Frankcom, 43; Damian Sobol, 35, a Polish citizen; and Saif Issam Abu Taha, 27, the Palestinian driver.

James Henderson from Cornwall was one of the British people killed, The Times and Daily Mail reported.

WCK said its convoy of three vehicles was attacked even though the charity was coordinating its operations with the Israeli military, and that two of the vehicles attacked were clearly marked as aid vehicles.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron called on Israel to “immediately investigate”, adding that the government wanted “a full and transparent explanation of what happened”.

“This is an attack not only on WCK, but on humanitarian organizations that exist in the most dire situations where food is used as a weapon of war,” said Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen. “ This is inexcusable.”

Mr. Sobol, 35, began volunteering at WCK in the border town of Przemysl at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, helping to feed refugees there. He joined WCK’s response to the earthquake in Türkiye. Most recently, he began working for WCK in Gaza.

Nate Mook, the former CEO of WCK who originally hired Ms. Frankcom, described her as a “shining star” and “a gift to the world” who dedicated her life to helping people. “The news of her death, and the killing of seven members of World Central Kitchen, is devastating for their families, friends and the world,” he told reporters independent.

“It’s incredible that they are no longer with us. They are all truly dedicated to their jobs and doing the best they can in the most desperate and dangerous situations.”

Netanyahu said the killings were “unintentional.”

“This happened during wartime,” he said in a video message. “We are investigating the matter thoroughly and are in contact with the government (of the foreigners among the deceased) and will do everything we can to ensure that something like this does not happen again.”

Israel’s top military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said officials were reviewing the incident at the highest level. He said an independent investigation would be launched “that will help us reduce the risk of something like this happening again”.

Celebrity chef Jose Andres, founder of WCK, said the deaths were a “tragedy.”

“I am heartbroken and saddened for their families and friends and our entire WCK family,” Andres wrote in a statement. “These men…angels…I served side by side in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas, Indonesia.

“They are not faceless… They are not nameless. The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more Innocent lives have been lost. Peace begins with our common humanity. It needs to start now.”

This is not the first time Israel has been accused of bombing humanitarian aid convoys and distribution centers.The United Nations Office for Palestine Refugees stated independent In February, a tank shell hit its aid convoy along the same coastal road.

The U.N. agency said a supply distribution center was also attacked in March and a convoy came under Israeli fire in December.

Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP and chair of the foreign affairs committee, said there was no explanation yet for the January bombing of a Palestinian medical aid center inside the declared safe zone, which has also been closed Direct conflict with the Israeli military was eliminated. Only four British doctors present at the time survived.

She called for a “thorough and swift investigation” into the latest incident. “and [into] “Given that the World Central Kitchen is receiving and distributing much needed aid, what impact will this have on the maritime corridor’s ability to operate,” she wrote on Twitter. “Humanitarian agencies must be given the assurances they need to ensure their people protected. “

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, called for sanctions against Israel. “On the same day that Israel bombed a third country’s foreign embassy, ​​a WCK humanitarian worker was killed. Israel is crossing every possible red line and yet remains with impunity. Sanctions now. Prosecutions now.”

Hours earlier, Israeli forces ended a devastating two-week assault on Gaza’s largest hospital, al Shifa, which was reduced to a burned-out shell.

Video showed Shifa’s main buildings charred and what appeared to be crushed bodies and body parts on the ground, crushed by bulldozers.

Israel claimed it launched the raid on Shifa because senior Hamas operatives were regrouping there and planning an attack. After the troops withdrew, hundreds of Palestinians returned to search for lost relatives or inspect the damage – and Palestinian journalists reported that some people had been killed by Israeli soldiers.

Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta, a British doctor of Palestinian origin, said that among the dead were Ahmed Maqadma and his mother, both doctors in Shifa; cousin. Dr Ghassan Abu Sitta volunteered at Shifa and other hospitals in the early months of the war before returning to Britain.

Nearly a week ago, the three men were on the phone with their families as they tried to leave Shifa, but the call was suddenly disconnected and their fate has been unknown. Relatives found their bodies with gunshot wounds Monday a block from the hospital, said Abu Sitta, who has been in contact with the family.