TEL AVIV — The parents of U.S. and Canadian aid workers killed in an Israeli attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy say they have no confidence the Israeli military will investigate fairly and have no independent opinion on the attack that claimed their lives. We are asking for a thorough investigation. Only my son.
Jacob Flickinger, 33, was one of seven humanitarian workers from a US charity killed in a series of Israeli attacks in central Gaza on Monday night. Their deaths sparked a wave of global criticism and renewed scrutiny of the accuracy of Israel's attacks in Gaza.
World Central Kitchen said the vehicles were clearly marked with its logo, were traveling in what was described as a non-conflict zone, and had notified Israeli forces of their movements in advance.
The Israel Defense Forces called the killing a “grave mistake” and said it had opened an investigation. Israel's top commander said an initial investigation showed the aid vehicle was misidentified in the darkness of night.
Flickinger's father, John Flickinger, told NBC News he had no confidence in the Israeli military's investigation and stressed the need for an independent investigation.
“The continued killing of aid workers by the IDF requires an independent investigation,” he said. “They continued to fire until all the workers were dead. So I think the Israeli government at least owes the families an apology, but I would like to say more than that.”
John Flickinger, sitting next to his wife Sylvie Labrecque, became emotional as he placed the loss of his family in the context of wider suffering in Gaza.
“We are two people who are suffering from the loss of our only son, but we are still two. There are thousands and thousands. [in Gaza]. Five people were killed in the attack, including World Central Kitchen aid workers. 200 aid workers were killed in Gaza,” said his grieving father.
Mr. Flickinger grew up in both the United States and Canada and served with the Canadian Army in Afghanistan before joining World Central Kitchen as a relief worker. He and his partner have an 18-month-old son and were looking to start a new life together in Costa Rica. His death reflects the loss of his grandfather, a U.S. fighter pilot who was killed in action.
“I grew up without a father,” John Flickinger said. “So I immediately thought that his son was growing up without a father again.”
Labrecque said she was relieved to know that her son was “very happy with the work he was doing” and was driven to help those at risk of starvation in Gaza.
“I often thought his life was likely to be short because I knew how passionate he was and how passionate he was,” she said.
Her parents sent Flickinger a message wishing her Easter Sunday. That was their last communication – he was killed the next day.
The IDF said the killing was being investigated by a fact-finding and evaluation mechanism, a military task force commanded by a senior general and made up of both active-duty and reserve officers. Only officers outside the chain of command involved in the attack are eligible to join the task force.
Human rights groups say such investigations rarely lead to accountability. An Israeli military investigation into the 2022 killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akre, also a US citizen, has concluded that it is “likely” that she was killed by Israeli fire. However, no Israeli soldiers were charged or disciplined for her death.
World Central Kitchen also called for an independent investigation, demanding that Israel “receive all documents, communications, video and/or audio recordings, and other materials that may be related to the April 1st attacks. Please save it immediately.”
The charity, founded by chef José Andrés, said: “An independent investigation will uncover what happened, ensure transparency and accountability for those responsible, and prevent future attacks on humanitarian workers. It's the only way to prevent it.”
Asked for comment on calls for an independent investigation, the IDF referred NBC News to an earlier statement from Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Helj Halevi. He said the IDF would “thoroughly investigate the incident” and share its findings with World Central Kitchen.
