GAZA - Citizens from Australia, Britain and Poland were among seven people working for celebrity chef Jose Andres’ NGO, World Central Kitchen (WCK), who were killed in an Israeli air strike in central Gaza on April 1, the non-governmental organisation said.

The workers, who also included Palestinians and a dual citizen of the United States and Canada, were travelling in two armoured cars emblazoned with the WCK logo and another vehicle, WCK said in a statement.

Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), the convoy was hit as it was leaving its Deir al-Balah warehouse, after unloading more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea, WCK said.

“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” said Ms Erin Gore, chief executive of WCK. “This is unforgivable.”

The Israeli military said it was conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident.

"The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," the military said.

The Hamas-run Gaza government said at least one Palestinian was also killed in a strike in the city of Deir al-Balah.

Mr Andres, who started WCK in 2010 by sending cooks and food to Haiti after an earthquake, said he was heartbroken and grieving for the families and friends of those who died in the attack.

“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing,” he said on social media.

“It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now.”

In a statement, militant group Hamas said the attack aimed to “terrorise” workers of international humanitarian agencies and deter them from pursuing their missions.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom and said his government had contacted Israel to demand those responsible be held accountable.

“This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, that is completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and proper accountability,” he said at a news conference on April 2.

Mr Albanese said innocent civilians and those doing humanitarian work needed to be protected and reiterated his call for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza along with more aid to help those suffering from “tremendous deprivation”.

Video obtained by Reuters showed paramedics moving bodies into a hospital and displaying the passports of three of those killed.

“We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike that killed @WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza,” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on social media.

“Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened.”

WCK said it was pausing its operations in the region immediately and would make decisions soon about the future of its work.

The WCK delivers food relief and prepares meals for people in need. It said in March it had served more than 42 million meals in Gaza over 175 days.

WCK was involved in the first shipment of aid to Gaza via a sea corridor from Cyprus in March.

A second WCK maritime aid shipment of 332 tonnes arrived in Gaza early this week.

Since starting operations in 2010, the organisation has delivered food for communities hit by natural disasters, refugees at the United States border, healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and people in conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Palestinian health officials said a separate Israeli air strike on a house killed six people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians were sheltering. REUTERS