President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, caused by Israeli airstrikes on Monday, April 1. His statement on Tuesday, April 2, marks his most forceful condemnation of Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
An Israeli airstrike on Monday killed seven World Central Kitchen humanitarian workers, including a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen. Over 200 aid workers have died since the war started on Oct. 7, according to White House spokesperson John Kirby.
“I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday,” Biden said in the statement. “They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.”
Biden criticized Israel for not doing enough to safeguard humanitarian workers in the region. Following the incident, World Central Kitchen has temporarily halted its operations in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that the strikes inadvertently harmed civilians and committed to a prompt investigation into the airstrikes targeting the vehicles of aid workers.
“Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said. “This happens in war. We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence.”
