Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Wednesday she was "outraged" by Israel's decision not to pursue criminal proceedings over the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza.
Frankcom, who worked for World Central Kitchen (WCK), was killed alongside six other employees in an Israeli airstrike in April 2024. The group was traveling in vehicles during a humanitarian aid operation in Deir al-Balah when the IDF struck the convoy.
The IDF earlier on Wednesday released the findings of its General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism (FFAM) concerning five incidents, including the deaths of the seven WCK employees.
According to the investigation, IDF troops spotted what they believed was an armed man on a truck traveling with the aid convoy, while the positioning of other vehicles was assessed based on operational experience as indicating that Hamas had taken control of the convoy. WCK had hired an armed security team to accompany the vehicles, but the presence of those armed personnel had not been coordinated with the IDF.
After the convoy arrived at a warehouse and unloaded its aid, several people were mistakenly identified as armed. They subsequently entered vehicles and began traveling south, departing from the route previously coordinated with the IDF.
Believing that Hamas terrorists had taken control of the convoy, IDF forces mistakenly concluded that Hamas military personnel were inside the vehicles and launched the strikes.
The inquiry found that IDF personnel unsuccessfully attempted to contact WCK representatives during the roughly 30-minute period in which the vehicles were being monitored.
Following the investigation, the Chief Military Prosecutor concluded that while the process leading to the mistaken identification involved serious failures, there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct. As a result, no criminal investigation or further action will be taken beyond measures already imposed.
Wong sharply criticized the decision, saying it "falls far short of the accountability we expect" and announcing that she would summon Israel's ambassador to Australia.
Australia would continue pushing Israel "for justice for Zomi and her colleagues", Wong said, describing the decision as "especially insulting" because it was announced on World Humanitarian Day.
"This is despite Israel Defense Forces admissions that the IDF strikes on Zomi and her colleagues' vehicles were the result of serious failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making," she said.
"This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect."
Wong reiterated that Canberra 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."
Following the 2024 incident, then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the strike resulted from a case of misidentification and was not intended to harm WCK personnel.
The IDF subsequently dismissed two officers and issued formal reprimands to senior commanders following its initial inquiry.
WCK temporarily suspended its food distribution operations in Gaza after the strike, but resumed them approximately one month later.