Melbourne, Feb 11: Australia has formally demanded criminal charges against Israeli personnel responsible for a 2024 airstrike on a Gaza aid convoy that killed seven workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Wednesday during a meeting with visiting Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
The April 1, 2024, drone strike also claimed an American-Canadian, a Palestinian, a Polish national, and three British security staff from World Central Kitchen. Albanese pressed for “full accountability” after an Australian inquiry cited Israeli military procedural failures, calling the incident a “tragedy and outrage.”
Herzog’s visit—aimed at mending ties strained by Gaza tensions and comforting Sydney’s Jewish community after December’s Bondi Beach antisemitic attack (15 killed)—sparked protests across Australia’s major cities, home to 85% of its Jewish population.
Hundreds rallied outside Canberra’s Parliament House waving Palestinian flags, joined by Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi and independent Senator David Pocock, who branded Herzog a “war criminal inciting genocide.” Sydney saw 27 arrests Monday amid clashes; police used pepper spray to prevent marchers confronting Bondi massacre mourners.
Albanese defended the dialogue as advancing national interests, while Herzog called his trip “very emotional” and broader than the Israel-Palestine conflict. Before departing, Herzog plans a Melbourne visit to the torched Adass Israel Synagogue—linked by Australia to Iranian direction, prompting last August’s diplomat expulsion.
