Canada, U.S. call on Israel to respect humanitarian law after World Central Kitchen strike in Gaza

Some of Israel's closest allies, including Canada and the United States, have condemned the deaths of seven aid workers who were killed by airstrikes in Gaza, prompting multiple charities to suspend food deliveries to Palestinians on the brink of starvation.

The deaths of the World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers threatened to set back efforts by the U.S. and other countries to open a maritime corridor for aid from Cyprus to help ease the desperate conditions in northern Gaza.

Among the dead were citizens of some of Israel's closest allies, including Jacob Flickinger, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. Six of the dead were foreign nationals and one was a local Palestinian.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, at a housing announcement in Toronto, said officials had spoken to Iddo Moed, Israel's ambassador to Canada, to express «our dismay at the unacceptable deaths of a Canadian-American aid worker along with others.»

«The world needs very clear answers as to how this happened,» Trudeau said.

Canada's foreign affairs minister, Mélanie Joly, said Wednesday that she had spoken to her Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, the previous evening.

«Israel needs to respect international humanitarian law, and we will make sure that is the case,» said Joly, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued an unusually blunt criticism of Israel by its closest ally.

«Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,» he said.

Biden said he was «outraged and heartbroken» by Monday's deadly airstrike.

«The United States has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their military operations against Hamas with humanitarian