The killing of World Central Kitchen workers sparked outrage inside the Biden White House

CNN
—

Israeli raid on Gaza Seven aid workers for the non-profit World Central Kitchen were killed It sparked anger and indignation inside the White House, prompting President Joe Biden on Tuesday to issue a public statement using a word he has rarely used during the conflict filled with endless tragedy: “angry.”

A senior administration official told CNN that the killing of workers trying to deliver food to starving civilians in the besieged enclave — including a dual US-Canadian citizen — has raised the frustration of Biden and his top officials to a new level.

Biden's statement on Tuesday evening, in which he mourned the killing of the seven workers, included some of the most fiery and blunt statements the president has made since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in October. He explicitly blamed Israel for failing to protect aid workers and civilians, saying: “Incidents like the one that happened yesterday simply should not happen.”

The official said the strike by Global Central Kitchen workers was a “high-profile incident” for the Biden White House, sparking serious panic and concern in what was already a moment of heightened tension between the United States and Israel.

The president discussed the workers' deaths with a small group of Muslim community leaders at the White House on Tuesday, according to an attendee. Some of the participants were doctors who spent time in Gaza and saw with their own eyes the plight of Palestinian civilians there. One of them, CNN reported He left the meeting early in a show of protest.

“The president expressed that this situation is very difficult and that he would like to see an end to this war,” said Salima Suswell, founder of the Black Muslim Leadership Council. “The conversation was difficult at times.”

Asked about Biden blaming Israel for failing to protect civilians and aid workers in his statement, one of the president's senior advisers told CNN: “That's what he wanted to say.”

Israel said it would investigate why aid workers' vehicles were hit by Israeli air strikes, and Biden called on the investigation to be “swift” and “bring accountability.”