An Israeli airstrike in Gaza claimed the lives of seven aid workers associated with the non-profit organization World Central Kitchen, igniting fury and indignation within the White House. President Joe Biden responded with a public statement on Tuesday, employing language rarely used throughout the conflict, expressing his profound outrage.
The tragic deaths occurred as the workers were delivering food to starving civilians in the besieged enclave, including a dual US-Canadian citizen. Biden’s statement, released Tuesday evening, conveyed some of the most impassioned and direct language from the president since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. He explicitly held Israel accountable for the failure to safeguard aid workers and civilians, emphasizing that such incidents should never occur.
The strike on the World Central Kitchen workers has been singled out as a particularly notable incident by the Biden administration, intensifying existing tensions between the US and Israel. President Biden discussed the workers’ deaths with a select group of Muslim community leaders at the White House, acknowledging the challenging circumstances and expressing his desire for an end to the ongoing conflict.
Salima Suswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council, recounted the discussion as difficult, with some attendees, including doctors with firsthand experience in Gaza, expressing their distress. One participant reportedly walked out of the meeting early in protest.
A senior adviser to President Biden confirmed that the statement blaming Israel for the failure to protect civilians and aid workers accurately reflects the president’s stance. Israel has pledged to investigate the circumstances surrounding the airstrike on the aid workers’ vehicles, with Biden urging for a swift and transparent probe to ensure accountability.
