Trudeau demands investigation into deaths

— Canada joined multiple allies including the United States, Poland and Australia in demanding a full investigation Tuesday after an Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed food in the Gaza Strip.

The workers, including a dual Canadian-American citizen, were in a convoy leaving a World Central Kitchen warehouse in Deir al-balah in central Gaza on Monday night. They had just delivered 100 tonnes of food shipped in via boat from Cyprus.

World Central Kitchen identified the dual Canadian-U.S. citizen as 33-year-old Jacob Flickinger.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it is “absolutely unacceptable” to attack aid workers.

“This is something that never should have happened, and we are heartbroken for the families and for the organization that has been putting people in harm’s way to counter the extraordinarily devastating humanitarian crisis going on in Gaza right now,” he said.

“We obviously need full accountability and investigation in this.”

Trudeau said there needs to be “clarity” about how it happened and repeated a call for a ceasefire “so more aid workers are not in danger as they try to respond to the suffering on the ground in Gaza.”

It was not clear if Canada had spoken directly with Israeli officials.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday she was “horrified” by the airstrike. Her office said that as of late afternoon she had not yet connected with her Israeli counterpart.

“We condemn these strikes and call for a full investigation,” she posted on X. “Canada expects full accountability for these killings and we will convey this to the Israeli government directly.”

Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said it defies belief that the airstrikes accidentally targeted aid workers. “This is far from the first time that Israel has targeted an aid convoy or killed humanitarian workers,” said the group’s vice-president Michael Bueckert.

He called on Canada to sanction Israeli leaders.