The family of the slain Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom has described a decision by the Israel Defense Forces not to open a criminal investigation into her death as deeply disappointing, and called on the government to push for the release of evidence, including audio from the drone strike.
Israel’s decision prompted outrage from Australia on Thursday. The country’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, was called in by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, while the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, expressed “outrage” and insisted he would press for justice for Frankcom and her colleagues.
Albanese said Frankcom’s family deserved a “far more transparent and clear explanation” from Israel, and would consider pushing for an independent investigation.
“We will press the Israeli government,” the prime minister said on ABC’s 7.30.
“The direction, we have said today, we’ll discuss with Ms Frankcom’s family. They deserve to be consulted on these issues, and we’ll do that. And then we’ll make an announcement in coming days.”
The April 2024 strike hit a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles, killing seven employees of the US-based aid group, which has distributed food in Gaza throughout the war.
The group had coordinated with the Israeli military over the movement of its convoy. But its vehicles were left incinerated and mangled after being repeatedly struck.
“This was not a single, instantaneous strike,” Frankcom’s family said in a statement.
“Three clearly marked humanitarian vehicles traveling in a humanitarian fire control zone were struck successively as survivors attempted to move from one vehicle to another.”
The family took exception to the announcement on World Humanitarian Day, which commemorates workers killed while helping others.
Frankcom’s family had attended an event with Wong only hours earlier, announcing a humanitarian award in Zomi’s name.
They said the timing of the announcement was “an insult” to her memory.
“Zomi and her colleagues deserve more than an internal, opaque process that ends with a short statement by the Israeli Military absolving their soldiers of criminal wrongdoing.”
They called on Labor to demand full disclosure of the evidence used by Israel and an acknowledgment that the high-level military officer involved in the strikes had been one of 130 signatories to a January 2024 letter calling for a block on aid to Gaza.
“We also call on the Australian government to pursue all available legal avenues for an independent and credible investigation to be conducted.”
The IDF said on Wednesday it had mistaken several individuals in the vehicles for armed Hamas military operatives, and that the convoy deviated from the previously coordinated route.
It concluded that “the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct”. Two officers were removed from their positions at the time and three others reprimanded.
Wong said she had told Newman “that Israel’s decision falls far short of the accountability we expect”.
“Democracies seek and accept higher standards,” Wong said. “The Australian government will continue to keep pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues and we will consult with Zomi Frankcom’s family before we announce further steps.”
She conceded it was a “difficult time in the relationship” with Israel.
In question time in Canberra, the prime minister said Israel’s decision was “an outrage”.
“Since the tragic killings, the government has consistently made clear our expectation for transparency, and we’ve pressed for full accountability,” Albanese said.
“The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Ms Frankcom and her colleagues.”
Newman said the investigators had found no criminal liability by the soldiers involved, but refused to apologise for the deaths, saying such a move would bring legal ramifications.
“A court came to a decision that there’s no criminal liability, so we’re not going to lynch people on the streets, no.
“There were mistakes made by the convoy, but there were mistakes made by Israel.”
The opposition frontbencher James Paterson said Frankcom “never should have been killed”.
“It’s a tragedy that she was, and it is incredibly concerning to hear this news out of Israel,” he said.
