US President Joe Biden said yesterday, Tuesday, that Israel did not do enough to protect civilians after the killing of seven aid workers, in what was considered his most severe criticism yet of Israeli behavior in the past six months since Israel began its brutal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Biden said in a statement issued Tuesday evening: “I am outraged and deeply saddened by the death of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including an American, in Gaza yesterday. They were providing food to starving civilians in the midst of war. "They were brave and their death is a tragedy."

Israel pledged to conduct a comprehensive investigation into why aid workers' vehicles were hit by airstrikes, "and this investigation must be rapid, it must lead to accountability, and its results must be made public."

“What is most tragic is that this is not an isolated incident,” Biden added. “This conflict was one of the worst in recent memory in terms of the number of aid workers killed, and that is the main reason why it is so difficult to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza - because Israel did not Enough to protect aid workers trying to provide desperately needed assistance to civilians. Incidents like the one that occurred yesterday simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians. The United States has repeatedly urged Israel not to confuse Its military operations against Hamas and humanitarian operations, in order to avoid civilian casualties.”

Biden stressed in his statement that the United States will continue to do everything in its power to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, through all available means, and said, “I will continue to pressure Israel to do more to facilitate that aid. We are strongly pushing for an immediate ceasefire as part of From the hostage deal. I have a team in Cairo working on this matter now.”

“Earlier today, I spoke with my friend Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, to convey my deepest condolences for the deaths of our brave aid workers and to express my continued support for the heroic efforts he and his team are making to get food to hungry people around the world,” Biden added.

For his part, spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said on Tuesday that the killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen organization in an Israeli strike in Gaza shows “ignorance of humanitarian law” and the safety of humanitarian crews in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Dujarric stated that "the repeated occurrence of these events is an inevitable consequence of how this war is being fought now," in "disregard for international humanitarian law and disregard for the protection of humanitarian workers," denouncing the killing of "all humanitarian workers."

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his speech during an informal meeting of the United Nations General Assembly held on Tuesday to discuss his report on human security, “The killing of relief workers at the Global Central Kitchen raises the number of aid workers killed in the conflict in Gaza to 196, including more than 175.” United Nations staff.

Guterres also reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and stressed that "the devastating Israeli air strikes that killed employees of the World Central Kitchen organization are unconscionable."

Israel has been waging a war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, and 32,916 people were martyred, the majority of whom were women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in the Strip.

While famine threatens the Gaza Strip, World Central Kitchen announced on Tuesday “the suspension of its operations in the region” after seven members of its team were killed in an Israeli strike while unloading aid that arrived from Cyprus to the besieged Strip, which is threatened by famine.

According to the organization, the dead were from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, a citizen holding dual American and Canadian citizenship, and a Palestinian.