ALBAWABA – A report by the British online newspaper The Independent, citing Campaign Against Arms Trade, revealed that the UK is accused of complying with Israel in targeting and killing seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Der al-Balah, central Gaza.
The Independent revealed claims that weapons used in the attack were powered by UK-made engines. Seven aid workers were killed Monday night when their three-vehicle convoy, which included two armored cars, was struck after leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza, where they had helped unload more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid brought to Gaza via the maritime route.
Israel used a Hermes 450 drone, according to the Campaign Against Arms Trade. It claimed that the weapon, known as a “Zik” drone in Israel, could have been powered by a British component.
According to World Central Kitchen, the aid workers killed were nationals of Australia, Canada/US (dual citizen), Gaza, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Israel has admitted to the killings but called it “a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants,” and something that “happens in war”.
The three British citizens killed were named yesterday as John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47. They were part of the security team.
The US-based aid organization, World Central Kitchen (WCK) called for an independent investigation into the killing of seven of its workers in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
“An independent investigation is the only way to determine the truth of what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian aid workers,” the WCK said in a statement.
Sir Alan Duncan, a senior Tory and former foreign minister, was among many who condemned the incident, characterizing it in The Independent as “a tipping point in Israel’s collapsing reputation” and questioning whether Britain should reconsider Israel as an ally.
Citing numbers from the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza, he stated: “As the death toll in Gaza has increased from 1,000 to 10,000 to 30,000, Israel’s rationale for this excess appears progressively less credible… Israel has lost the world’s support due to its deception and callousness. Nobody believes its assertions any more”.
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy joined calls for an end to the arms trade, accusing his ministerial counterpart David Cameron of “going silent” on the issue of whether Israel is complying with international humanitarian law in its sales. “The law is clear,” he explained. “British arms licenses cannot be granted if there is a clear risk”.