Israeli Government Decision Not to Prosecute Those Responsible for the Death of Aid Worker Zomi Frankcom, Who Was Killed in an IDF Strike

Frankcom, an Australian aid worker with World Central Kitchen, was killed in April 2024 along with six colleagues in an Israeli airstrike. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and that she would summon the Israeli ambassador. In a statement on Thursday, Wong said the Australian government learned of Israel's decision late Wednesday night, adding that the outcome was "especially insulting" as it came on World Humanitarian Day.

She noted the Israel Defense Forces had admitted the strikes on Frankcom and her colleagues' vehicles resulted from "serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making. "This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect, Wong said. She said Australia would continue pressing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues.

"I will 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, she added. In a separate development, Israel confirmed soldiers fired at a car in which Hind Rajab was killed and opened a criminal investigation.