CANBERRA, August 20, 2026 (WAFA) — Australia today summoned Israeli Ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman to protest the Israeli military's decision not to open a criminal investigation into the killing of Australian aid worker Lalzomi "Zomi" Frankcom and six of her colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip in 2024.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decision, saying it fell far short of the accountability Australia expects. She asked Australia's ambassador to Israel to convey the government's position directly to the Israeli side.

Wong said the Australian government learned of the decision moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day, describing the timing of the announcement as a deep insult to Frankcom's family, humanitarian workers and Australians.

Frankcom was among seven World Central Kitchen employees killed when the Israeli military carried out an airstrike targeting their convoy as they were distributing food and water in the Gaza Strip in April 2024. The seven victims, in addition to Frankcom, included three Britons, a US-Canadian, a Polish national and a Palestinian.

Wong said Frankcom represented the best of Australia and that her family deserved justice, stressing that the Israeli decision fell far short of the level of accountability her country expects.

The killing of the aid workers sparked widespread international condemnation and calls to ensure the protection of humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip.

K.T