Australia 'outraged' by Israeli decision to drop proceedings against Frankcom’s killers
Australia has expressed profound outrage over the Israeli regime's decision not to pursue criminal proceedings against those responsible for the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen (WCK) colleagues.
Frankcom, an Australian aid worker with WCK, was killed alongside her colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on a convoy in the Gaza Strip in April 2024.
On Thursday, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong stated that Australia is outraged by Israel's decision to drop charges against the perpetrators of the crime.
She emphasized that the decision to exonerate those responsible "falls far short of the accountability we expect."
Wong noted that the lack of prior notification added insult to injury.
"The Australian Government learned of Israel's decision late last night, moments before it was announced on World Humanitarian Day," Wong said.
"It is the day when we commemorate humanitarian workers lost, and celebrate and commend the work of humanitarians everywhere. We had just launched the Zomi Frankcom Humanitarian Award. We didn't have the opportunity to inform Zomi's family before Israel's decision was made public because of the lack of notice. To learn of these developments in these circumstances was especially insulting and hurtful to Zomi's loved ones, to humanitarians, and to Australians."
Wong conveyed her outrage directly to the Israeli ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman.
During the meeting, Newman claimed that Israeli forces had "no criminal intention" during the killing of the seven international aid workers, which included Frankcom, three Britons, a Polish national, and a dual US-Canadian citizen.
However, speaking to reporters after the meeting, Wong stressed that "unanswered questions" surrounding the killing remain.
She specifically highlighted the discrepancy in Israel's narrative, questioning why, if the first strike on the convoy was "a catastrophic error," two further strikes followed just minutes apart.
The decision has drawn further condemnation in light of other documented atrocities.
The horrific killing by Israeli forces of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, six of her relatives, and two paramedics attempting to save her life stands as another stark example of such crimes.
Similarly, investigations continue into the March 2024 killing of 15 Palestinians, including medics and a UN worker, whose bodies were found buried in shallow graves next to crushed vehicles a week later.
Since the onset of the genocide in Gaza in 2023, the death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces has surpassed 73,400, with more than 174,336 wounded.
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