Australia 'outraged' after Israeli decision not to prosecute over killing of aid worker in GazaAustralia's foreign minister says she will summon the Israeli ambassador over 'insulting' Zomi Frankcom decision.2 hrs agoWorld

Australia 'outraged' after Israeli decision not to prosecute over killing of aid worker in Gaza.

Key points

• Frankcom was an Australian aid worker with World Central Kitchen (WCK) who was killed in Gaza with six other colleagues by an Israeli airstrike in April 2024.
• This person were killed in two separate attacks in November 2023 and February 2024.
• Foreign Minister Penny Wong remarked the decision "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and that she would call in the Israeli ambassador.
• Australia would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues", Wong remarked in an official note on Thursday.
• Wong remarked the Australian administration had learned of Israel's decision late on Wednesday night, adding that the outcome was "especially insulting" as it occurred on World Humanitarian Day.

Australia's foreign minister has remarked she is "outraged" over an Israeli administration decision not to prosecute those responsible for the death of aid worker Zomi Frankcom. This person was killed in an IDF strike.

WCK remarked the decision was "inconsistent with the full truth" and that the military investigation "conflates different timelines and events" and "shifts the blame for the IDF's illegal conduct".

Australia would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues", Wong remarked in an official note on Thursday. Three British nationals, a Palestinian, a Pole and a dual US-Canadian citizen were additionally killed in the attack.

In its statement, the IDF remarked the presence of an armed guard with the convoy had not been flagged with it before the convoy set off, and that he was falsely identified as a Hamas fighter. It additionally maintained the convoy had deviated from the route that had been coordinated with the military.

Notwithstanding "serious failures" in the process that led to the killings, "the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct, " the IDF remarked.

In the same statement, the IDF additionally stated it had additionally failed to find grounds for criminal investigation into the killing of four employees of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). This person were killed in two separate attacks in November 2023 and February 2024.

"This is despite Israel Defense Forces admissions that the IDF strikes on Zomi and her colleagues' vehicles were the result of serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making, " she remarked. "This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect."

Wong remarked the administration would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues".

"I will call in Israel's Ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman and have directed Australia's Ambassador to Israel to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian Government considers next steps."

WCK remarked the Israeli decision was "inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive". It demanded an independent investigation as "the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own conduct".

At the time of the lethal attacks, the IDF knew that our team in Gaza was unarmed and posing a threat to nobody, it remarked in an official note. It had full visual clarity on our clearly marked humanitarian vehicles during the extended, multiple airstrikes. It knew our team's movements, identities and activities in advance.

"The military investigation conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story and shifts the blame for the IDF's illegal conduct."

Wong's comments mark one of the strongest censures of the Israeli military by Australia since the war in Gaza began, reflecting broader international condemnation of the WCK attack.

Australian former defence force chief Mark Binskin handed down a report in August 2024 that discovered "serious failures" in the IDF's procedures led to the killing of Frankcom and her colleagues.

At the time, the IDF called the attack on the aid convoy a "grave mistake".

Meanwhile, the Frankcom decision contrasts with the IDF's announcement in the same statement that it would carry out a criminal investigation into the killing by Israeli forces of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab in Gaza in 2024.

For context, an ambulance sent to reach her – in a move co-ordinated with the Israeli army – was then additionally shelled, killing two paramedics.

Meanwhile, the IDF additionally stated it would investigate the killing of 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN worker, in March 2025, whose bodies were discovered buried in shallow graves a week afterwards next to the crushed vehicles.

Israel confirms soldiers fired at car in which Hind Rajab was killed and opens criminal investigation. Delivering food in a warzone: The story behind World Central Kitchen.

Israel changes account of Gaza medic killings after video indicated deadly attack.

For now, australia ' outraged' after Israeli decision not to prosecute over killing of aid remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.