From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Pentagon chief to Gallant: Strike on WCK convoy ‘reinforced’ concerns over Rafah op
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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, with the Pentagon saying he “expressed his outrage” over an IDF strike in Gaza that killed seven staffers of World Central Kitchen.
A readout from the Defense Department says Austin called “to immediately take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians in Gaza after repeated coordination failures with foreign aid groups.”
“Secretary Austin urged Minister Gallant to conduct a swift and transparent investigation, to share their conclusions publicly, and to hold those responsible to account,” it continues.
“Secretary Austin stated that this tragedy reinforced the expressed concern over a potential Israeli military operation in Rafah, specifically focusing on the need to ensure the evacuation of Palestinian civilians and the flow of humanitarian aid.”
The statement stresses Austin’s praise for WCK and says he told Austin “this tragedy makes it more difficult to flood the zone with humanitarian assistance, as Israeli officials have stated they seek to do.”
“Secretary Austin also raised the need to see a rapid increase of aid coming through all crossings in the coming days, particularly to communities in northern Gaza that are at risk of famine.”
A line at the end of the readout says “Secretary Austin reiterated US support for Israel’s defense against a range of regional threats,” without elaborating.
The Times of Israel Community.