NATO chief condemns Israeli killing of aid workers in Gaza

The NATO secretary general on Wednesday condemned this week's killing of seven aid workers in the Gaza Strip, but welcomed Israel's initiative to launch investigation into the incident.

"What we see now in Gaza is humanitarian catastrophe. We see suffering, we see that civilians are killed, and we also saw the strike against aid workers and I condemn the strike," Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels where foreign ministers of the defense alliance have gathered for a meeting.

The NATO chief said he welcomed the fact that Israel has made sure it will investigate what happened.

The workers from World Central Kitchen, which feeds people in disaster and war zones, were killed in an Israeli strike Monday in the Gaza Strip. The victims were nationals of Australia, Poland, the UK, Palestine, as well as a US-Canada dual citizen. The NGO has since paused its operations in the region.

Stoltenberg said this shows "very serious consequences" for innocent people, not only people living in Gaza, but also aid workers.

He also welcomed the efforts by the allies including the US and UK to facilitate "some kind of cease-fire and a political solution."

Israel has killed nearly 33,000 Palestinians since the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border incursion by Hamas that claimed 1,200 lives.

While the enclave has turned to ruins, more than half of the 2.3 million population of Gaza is internally displaced and faces starvation.