Zomi Frankcom and other slain aid workers remembered at Washngton memorial service

Memorial service for World Central Kitchen workers killed by IDF

Founder of World Central Kitchen Jose Andres speaks at a memorial service for seven workers killed by Israeli drone strikes in Gaza Source: AAP / JIM LO SCALZO/EPA

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A memorial service has been held at the Washington National Cathedral to honour seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed earlier this month by Israeli airstrikes. It comes as a United Nations Special Rapporteur has called for an arms and oil embargo on Israel.


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TRANSCRIPT

Seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza, have been honoured at a memorial at the National Cathedral in the US capital.

Celebrity chef and the philanthropist behind the Washington-based World Central Kitchen disaster relief group, Jose Andres, has paid tribute to Ms Frankcom.

"Zomi Frankcom, our beloved Zomi, was at the very heart of World Central Kitchen. She was the living, breathing, smiling heart of everything we did in the field. She joined us as a volunteer after the huge volcano erupted in Guatemala six years ago. It always felt from the start that she embodied our spirit and purpose."

The aid workers were killed on 1 April when a succession of Israeli armed drones ripped through vehicles in their convoy as they left one of World Central Kitchen's warehouses on a food delivery mission.

Following an investigation, Israel says the military officials involved in the strike had violated policy by acting based on a single grainy photo one officer had contended, incorrectly, showing one of the seven workers was armed.

The Israeli military dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others.

Mr Andres says the World Central Kitchen workers are among many other aid workers who have been killed in Gaza.

"Our losses might seem as small in number compared to the almost 200 humanitarian aid workers killed in Gaza. The 34,000 Palestinians killed by IDF and the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas. But each of these people leave behind loved ones who will always have them in their hearts."

Meanwhile, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory Francesca Albanese has called for immediate sanctions which should include an arms and oil embargo.

Last month, Ms Albanese told the U-N rights body she believed Israel's military campaign in Gaza since October 7 amounted to genocide.

Israel's diplomatic mission in Geneva responded, saying the use of the word genocide is outrageous.

During a visit to Cairo, Ms Albanese says Israel has reneged on its international obligations.

“Palestinians don’t need charity and don’t want charity. They want to have legal protection in order not to be put in a limbo where they are forgotten. And so again, I don’t think it’s just Egypt’s responsibility but it is to be known that there are Palestinians who have been displaced from the Occupied Palestinian territories in Egypt, in Jordan, in Qatar, in other parts of the region and besides the humanitarian assistance, they will need legal protection, someone needs to deliver it.”

The families of some of the 133 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip have gathered in Tel Aviv to thank the leaders of 18 nations for demanding the immediate release of their loved ones.

They have insisted the hostage case has become an international humanitarian crisis, and urged other world leaders to join the call for the release of all them.

But the family members like Nadav Tamir also say it's time to pass from the words to the actions.

"The hostages case is an international humanitarian crisis with 133 innocent people from 23 different countries held captive, enduring physical and emotional torture, often lacking medical aid, air, light, food and clean water. The Families Forum welcomed the statement from the world leaders calling for the immediate release of all hostages and putting the issue of the hostages as a top international priority. We are grateful to all the countries that participated in this joint call and we urge other world leaders to unite in this demand."

In the United States, police have made arrests at two universities and a graduation ceremony has been cancelled as campus protests against the war in Gaza continue.

The universities affected include Atlanta's Emory University and University of Southern California.

A week after protests began at New York's Columbia University, they have spread to dozens of colleges in the US.


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