Britain, Australia and Canada said on Friday it is "shameful" and "egregious" that Israel would not pursue criminal investigations into a 2024 strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza that led to the death of seven humanitarian workers.
The announcement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday that it would not investigate the strike without further explanation is "shameful," the foreign ministers of the three countries said in a joint statement.
"Announcing this decision on World Humanitarian Day, while the world honored the courage and sacrifice of humanitarians, was particularly egregious," the statement said. "The victims of this incident and their families deserve justice and accountability, and we will continue to seek answers on their behalf."
The foreign ministers urged Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, and do more to ensure that humanitarian staff can carry out their work safely.
The IDF said on Wednesday that it had completed a review of the incident and concluded that there were serious failures that led soldiers to falsely assess that the vehicles contained Hamas operatives, but that the decisions of commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.
The seven aid workers were killed when the World Central Kitchen convoy was struck by an Israeli airstrike in a humanitarian food delivery mission on April 1, 2024.
Britain, Australia, Canada condemn Israel for not investigating convoy attack
China and Arab countries will deepen practical cooperation in combating drought, desertification and land degradation in the coming five years, according to an action plan released on Saturday in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
The plan was released at a meeting of the Steering Committee of the China-Arab International Research Center for Drought, Desertification and Land Degradation and the China-Arab Cooperation Workshop, which were held on the sidelines of the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Drought, desertification and land degradation are pressing ecological challenges shared by China and Arab nations. The action plan outlines concrete initiatives for the next five years, leveraging platforms such as the China-Arab Center and partnership networks to deepen cooperation in key areas including desertification control, degraded land management, and sandstorm monitoring and early warning.
The 17th session of the COP17 to the UNCCD officially commenced on Monday in Ulaanbaatar under the theme "Restoring Land, Restoring Hope." Delegates from UNCCD's 197 Parties, along with representatives from UN bodies, international organizations, civil society groups, research institutions and enterprises, gathered to discuss issues including restoration of degraded land, sustainable land management, drought resilience, and grassland protection and restoration.
China, Arab countries release plan for desertification control at UNCCD COP17 in Mongolia
