Australia says former defense chief to probe deaths of Gaza aid workers

Australia has appointed retired national defense chief Mark Binskin to look into how the Israel Defense Forces came to kill seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, in Gaza last week.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he expects Israel will fully cooperate with Binskin as Australia’s special adviser on Israel’s response to the missile strikes on three aid vehicles.

“We would expect that someone of Mr. Binskin’s stature, frankly, will be given every cooperation from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli government,” Albanese tells Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“We don’t find the explanations to be satisfactory to this point,” Albanese adds.

The seven aid workers’ deaths have “shaken the world,” Albanese says, adding it is “unacceptable” that almost 200 aid workers have died since the conflict began in October last year.

Binskin, who served as Australian Defense Force chief from 2014 to 2018, will advise the government on the “sufficiency and appropriateness of steps taken by the Israeli government” in response to the fatal attack, which the Israeli military has described as a tragic error, a government statement says.