‘Shameful’: Canada, U.K., Australia rebuke Israel for decision on aid workers’ deaths

Canada, Australia and the U.K.’s foreign ministries are denouncing Israel’s decision not to pursue criminal charges over a military strike that killed humanitarian aid workers in 2024.

In a joint statement today, the three countries say the decision by Israel’s military prosecutor against a criminal investigation into the deadly strike, without offering further explanation, is “shameful.”

They say announcing the decision on World Humanitarian Day was “particularly egregious,” and that the victims and their families deserve justice and accountability.

April 2024 airstrikes hit a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles and killed seven aid workers delivering food in Gaza, including Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old military veteran from Quebec.

A statement by Israel’s military on Wednesday said commanders mistook the aid workers as armed Hamas operatives, and their decisions in launching the attack “did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.”

World Central Kitchen has called for an independent investigation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2026.

By Canadian Press Staff | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.