Who was Jacob Flickinger, Aid Worker Killed In Israeli Air Strike?
Jacob Flickinger, 33, is one of the seven charity workers working with World Central Kitchen who were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza.
The attack has drawn wide condemnation from the nations from where the charity workers originated.
The attack also drew condemnation from the U.S. president who said that he was ‘outraged and heartbroken’. The incident has increased pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree for a ceasefire with Hamas and end the two month old war.
Jacob Flickinger is a US-Canadian citizen and was working for the charity organization World Central Kitchen which was distributing food for the besieged population of Gaza who had been caught in between the warring Hamas fighters and Israel.
Jacob Flickinger along with six other aid workers was distributing aid to Palestinians from the World Central Kitchen. The group was traveling in a group of three cars when their vehicle was hit by a hellfire missile fired from Israeli aircraft who mistook them to be Hamas fighters. The charity team and their Palestinian drivers were killed in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah when their aid convoy was struck by Israeli missiles. The car which had the charity logo prominently displayed when it was targeted by R9X Hellfire missiles.
The incident has led to international condemnation, even from Israel’s staunchest supporters. The Hamas –Israel war has entered the fifth month and more than 32000 Palestinians including women and children have been killed. The Israeli war was fallout of the October 7 terror attacks, which killed 1,200 Israelis and more than 250 taken as hostages.
In a statement, World Central Kitchen named Flickinger as one of seven ‘beautiful souls’ killed during the attack.
President Joe Biden said that he is outraged and heartbroken by the demise of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. Calling them as brave and selfless people who were distributing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war, their deaths are a tragedy. President also asked Israeli authorities to complete a thorough investigation quickly and bring accountability.
Erin Gore, CEO, said
‘Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable.’
Jacob Flickinger was killed along with six other workers from Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom. It included 3 former British servicemen- Royal Marines James Henderson and John Chapman and an ex-Army soldier James Kirby. An Australian citizen Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom 44, from Melbourne was also killed in the attack.
Also Read: Biden expresses shock and sorrow over the deaths of Gaza aid workers in Israeli strike