By Nandita Bose
Washington (Reuters) – The White House said on Tuesday it was “outraged” by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza that killed seven people working for World Central Kitchen (WCK), and that President Joe Biden called the charity aid group’s founder to share his condolences.
“We were outraged to learn of an IDF strike that killed a number of civilian humanitarian workers yesterday from the World Central Kitchen,” White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters during a briefing in Washington.
Asked whether the U.S. would condemn the Israeli airstrike, Kirby said of his use of the word “outraged”: “I think you can fairly characterize that as condemning the strike itself.”
Biden told WCK founder Jose Andres that he will make clear to Israel that aid workers must be protected, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told the same briefing.
The strike on the WCK convoy killed citizens of Australia, Britain and Poland as well as Palestinians and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that the strike was tragic and unintended, and the Israeli military pledged an independent inquiry.
The Israelis have “already said this was on them,” Kirby said. “There’s accountability to be held here.”
“There are issues of deconfliction that clearly need to be fleshed out and improved,” Kirby said, adding that Washington would continue to make sure Israel can defend itself.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Katharine Jackson in Washington; Writing by Ismail Shakil; editing by Rami Ayyub)
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