'Shameful:' UK, Canada and Australia condemn Israel's refusal to investigate aid worker attack

Israel sidelining death of aid workers is 'egregious', allies say

MEE staff

Published date: 21 August 2026 

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/shameful-uk-canada-and-australia-condemn-israels-refusal-investigate-aid-worker-attack

Israel's decision not to launch a criminal investigation into an attack on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in Gaza is "shameful", according to the UK, Canada and Australia.

The 2024 attack by Israel killed at least seven humanitarian workers.

"The announcement by the [Israeli military] on August 19, 2026, that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful," the three countries wrote in a statement on Friday. 

Refusing to investigate the strike on World Humanitarian Day was "particularly egregious", the countries added. 

"This decision is both too little and too late. The victims of this incident and their families deserve justice and accountability, and we will continue to seek answers on their behalf."

Gaza has become a particularly deadly place for aid workers.

In 2025, Israeli attacks on the Strip accounted for more than half of all deaths of humanitarian workers globally, with 186 killed in the year, the UN said this week. 

Israel's failure to investigate its attacks has riled even countries long considered staunch supporters.

Poland has summoned Israel's ambassador over the decision, noting that a Polish volunteer was among those killed when Israeli aircraft struck the charity's clearly marked convoy in central Gaza. 

The UK's signing of the statement comes after Andy Burnham, the country's new prime minister, vowed to change Westminster's response to Gaza, conceding in July that the previous Labour government "caused huge hurt".

Under a ceasefire brokered by the US in October 2025, Israel was mandated to allow massively increase aid to enter the enclave which it has blockaded since 2007. Instead, Israel has continued attacking Gaza.

A Commission of Inquiry established by the UN Human Rights Council declared in September 2025 that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. The death toll has hit at least 73,399, with 174,310 injured. 

At least 1,265 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire agreement was signed between Israel and Hamas in October 2025.