Australia 'outraged' after Israeli decision not to prosecute over killing of aid worker in Gaza
Foreign minister says she will summon Israeli ambassador over 'insulting' Zomi Frankcom decision.
Australia's foreign minister has expressed her "outrage" following Israel's decision not to prosecute those accountable for the death of Zomi Frankcom, an Australian aid worker with World Central Kitchen, who died in an IDF strike.
Frankcom was among seven World Central Kitchen colleagues killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike in April 2024. Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that the decision "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and announced that she would summon the Israeli ambassador.
In a statement released on Thursday, Wong affirmed that Australia would persist in pressuring Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues." She noted that the Australian government learned of Israel's decision late Wednesday night, finding the outcome "especially insulting" as it coincided with World Humanitarian Day.
Wong highlighted that this decision comes "despite Israel Defense Forces admissions that the IDF strikes on Zomi and her colleagues' vehicles were the result of serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making."
She reiterated, "This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect."
Wong confirmed that she would "call in Israel's Ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman and have directed Australia's Ambassador to Israel to convey our views directly to Israel as the Australian Government considers next steps."