SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia on Wednesday told Israel that the death of an Australian aid worker in Gaza by an Israeli air strike was outrageous, and said Israel would continue to lose support unless it changed its course of action.
“I spoke with my counterpart, the foreign minister of Israel, late last night … I expressed to him the death of any aid worker and the death of Zomi Frankcom was outrageous and unacceptable,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
Frankcom would leave behind “a legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit”, her family said in a statement according to national broadcaster ABC.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday an Israeli airstrike had mistakenly killed seven people working for the aid charity World Central Kitchen in Gaza, and the U.S. and other allies called for explanations.
The strike killed citizens of Australia, Britain and Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada.
Wong said Israel must answer how the aid vehicles, which according to media reports were clearly marked and their movement shared with the Israeli military, were attacked.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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