An American nonprofit worker killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza has been named as 33 year-old Jacob Flickinger.
Flickinger was one of seven slain by an IDF strike as he and his colleagues from the World Central Kitchen worked to distribute aid to Palestinians.
They were in a convoy of three cars Monday night when hellfire missiles struck their vehicles.
The incident has sparked international outrage and has heaped more pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his response to the October 7 terror attacks, which killed 1,200 Israelis.
In a statement, WC Kitchen named Flickinger as one of seven ‘beautiful souls’ killed during the attack.
Jacob Flickinger, 33, has been named as the American-Canadian citizen who was one of seven food charity workers killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza late Monday night
In a statement, WC Kitchen named Flickinger as one of seven ‘beautiful souls’ killed during the attack
The team from the charity and their Palestinian driver were killed in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah when their vehicle (pictured) was struck on Monday, local media reported, after the group helped deliver food and other supplies to the region
‘Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories,’ Erin Gore, CEO, said.
‘This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable.
‘I am heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished.’
Flickinger is a dual citizen of the US and Canada. He was killed alongside workers from Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom.
Three former British servicemen were among the victims. Former Royal Marines James Henderson and John Chapman and an ex-Army soldier James Kirby died in the drone strike.
World Central Kitchen workers gather around the bodies of their colleagues after they were transferred to Al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah
WCK staff were seen mourning their dead colleagues as their bodies were loaded into an ambulance
Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom (pictured), 44, from Melbourne , was killed along with three other international aid workers and a Palestinian driver, in Central Gaza, while working with the World Central Kitchen charity on Monday
The Polish man has also been named by authorities as Damian Soból (pictured), who worked for the charity bringing aid into Gaza
They were killed along side Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25, Lalzawmi Frankcom, 43, from Australia, and Damian Sobol, 35, from Poland.
Netanyahu acknowledged that Israeli forces were to blame, saying the aid workers had been killed by an ‘unintended strike’. He said officials were ‘checking thoroughly’ what had happened.
But aid agencies accused Israel of deliberately targeting their staff. And Mr Netanyahu was last night under intense pressure to explain why the attack happened – and to guarantee that there will be no further strikes against aid workers.
Ships carrying 240 tonnes of food aid were yesterday reported to have turned back from Gaza in the wake of the bombing, adding to the humanitarian crisis in the narrow strip of land.
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