UK, Canada and Australia condemn Israel for closing probe into 2024 Gaza aid convoy strike

Diplomatic backlash over probe closure

Britain, Canada and Australia issued a joint statement on 21 August 2026 condemning Israel's decision not to file criminal charges over the fatal April 2024 strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza. The three governments described the closure as shameful, noting that the announcement occurred on 19 August 2026 during World Humanitarian Day. Diplomats from all three nations affirmed that they would continue demanding full accountability for the deaths of their citizens. Poland escalated diplomatic pressure by summoning the Israeli ambassador in Warsaw on Thursday night, stating that it rejects any evasion of legal and moral responsibility.

The Australian government will continue to press for those responsible to be held fully accountable, including through appropriate criminal charges.

Military investigation findings and the 2024 strike

The military strikes occurred on 1 April 2024, when Israeli drone fire hit vehicles carrying World Central Kitchen personnel as they delivered food to civilians. The team had just supervised the partial unloading of a vessel arriving from Cyprus with 300 tonnes of humanitarian food aid. The seven workers killed were British nationals John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby, Australian Zomi Frankcom, Pole Damian Sobół, Palestinian Saifeddin Abutaha, and dual US-Canadian national Jacob Flickinger. Five days after the incident, the Israeli military dismissed two officers and acknowledged operational errors. On 19 August 2026, the Israel Defense Forces concluded its preliminary inquiry, stating there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct to justify prosecution.

Responses from Israel, Poland and aid groups

Israel's ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, defended the military ruling by stating that the absence of criminal intent precluded criminal liability under Israeli law. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the decision was reached independently by military judicial bodies based on legal considerations. In response, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski warned that failing to hold personnel accountable damages international standing.

Partnership requires mutual respect.

Polish prosecutors in Przemyśl continue to conduct an active criminal investigation into the death of Damian Sobół and have requested case files from Israeli authorities. World Central Kitchen rejected the military conclusion as inconsistent with reality and called for an independent inquiry commission, stating that armed forces cannot credibly evaluate their own actions.

Humanitarian safety in Gaza

The diplomatic dispute follows persistent dangers for relief workers operating across the Gaza Strip. United Nations figures indicate that 186 humanitarian workers were killed in Gaza during 2025, marking the territory as the deadliest location in the world for aid personnel for a third consecutive year. Although a ceasefire took effect in January 2025, Israeli strikes continue across the enclave as relief agencies report severe shortages of food, clean water and medical care. Foreign ministries in London, Ottawa and Canberra stated that the 2024 convoy strike remains one of numerous cases in the territory where military actions have resulted in no criminal penalties.