The Quebecer killed Monday with six other humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip was a veteran of the Royal 22e Régiment de Québec who leaves behind a partner and a one-year-old baby.
Jacob Flickinger, 33, was one of seven aid workers who were in a convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles hit by an Israeli airstrike on Monday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strike “unintentional” and “tragic.” “It happens in a war,” he said Tuesday.
Jacob Flickinger’s father wrote on Facebook that his son’s death was a “heartbreaking tragedy” but that he died doing what he loved.
“My son, Jacob, was killed Monday while delivering food aid to starving families in Gaza,” wrote John Flickinger. He died doing what he loved and serving others through his work with World Central Kitchen. »
Jacob Flickinger had dual Canadian and American citizenship. The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed on Wednesday that Mr. Flickinger had been an infantryman in the Royal 22e Régiment de Québec.
The provincial deputy for Beauce-Sud, Samuel Poulin, spoke of the veteran’s “family roots” in Beauce.
“War has just taken on a new symbol. In recent hours, we have learned of the sad death of a citizen whose family roots are in Beauce, Jacob Flickinger. I spoke to his mother earlier this morning. My most sincere thoughts,” he wrote on the X network.
A page was created Wednesday morning on the crowdfunding platform Go Fund Me to raise funds for a funeral and create a trust for Mr. Flickinger’s son. More than $25,000 had been raised by the end of the afternoon, out of a goal of $100,000.
The page states that Mr. Flickinger had been working for World Central Kitchen in Gaza since the beginning of March. Previously, he traveled with the NGO to Acapulco, Mexico, last fall to provide food aid after Hurricane Otis hit Mexico’s Pacific coast.
The organization Restaurantes en Acapulco changed its Facebook homepage to feature a photo of Mr. Flickinger, wearing a World Central Kitchen T-shirt and sunglasses, walking down a street with another aid worker, in November 2023.
“This is how Jacob accompanied us in November to different popular settlements to distribute food and water to people affected by Otis,” we read at the bottom of the thumbnail of another photo published Tuesday evening on this page Facebook.
In a video posted on the same page, Mr. Flickinger is stopped by a resident while handing out bottled water. He smiles and listens to the man talk for a short while before shaking his hand and thanking him.
Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, 43, from Australia, was also killed in Monday’s Israeli strike. Less than a week before she died, she shared a video in which she was seen working in the warehouse near where the convoy was hit.
Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, began volunteering for humanitarian organizations when his hometown of Przemyśl became a refuge for Ukrainians fleeing Russian bombing.
Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, aged 25, worked for the association as a driver.
Three British army veterans who were providing security for the team were also killed on Monday: John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47.
Second Cyprus Maritime Expedition
The seven victims were part of a convoy of three vehicles which left a warehouse in Deir el-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, between Rafah and Gaza, and which had just delivered more than 100 tonnes of food. This distribution represented about a quarter of a shipment that arrived in the Gaza Strip at a makeshift dock built by their organization, World Central Kitchen, from rubble left by previous airstrikes around Gaza.
In mid-March, World Central Kitchen became the first relief organization in more than two decades to transport supplies by sea to Gaza. Monday’s delivery was part of the second maritime shipment from Cyprus. There was rice, pasta, flour, legumes, canned vegetables and protein, plus a special shipment of dates.
The dates, donated by the United Arab Emirates, were intended to “bring a sense of comfort to Palestinians observing Ramadan during the darkest times imaginable,” World Central Kitchen says on its website. “Dates are traditionally eaten to break the daily fast. »
The pier was built with Israeli permission and the convoy’s movements were reported in advance to Israeli authorities, the non-governmental organization said.
Israel has some explaining to do about how the convoy ended up becoming a target, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Wednesday. “The world needs very clear answers about how this happened,” Mr. Trudeau said.
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, who is in Belgium for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, said she spoke Tuesday evening with her Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz. “We are calling for a thorough investigation,” she repeated.
On social media, Mr. Katz offered his condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to their respective countries. “The Israel Defense Forces and decision-makers are doing and will do everything to prevent civilians from being harmed,” he said.
“The incident will be investigated by relevant authorities to ensure that the necessary conclusions are drawn to ensure the safety and security of aid workers in the future. »
More than 200 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7, when Hamas terrorists launched an attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people. Israel’s massive military response has led to the deaths of more than 32,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry.
In a post published Wednesday in the New York TimesWorld Central Kitchen founder José Andrés pleads with Israel to begin “the long road to peace.”
“We know the Israelis. Israelis, deep in their hearts, know that food is not a weapon of war, writes the Spanish chef. Israel is better than the way this war is being fought. Better than blocking the distribution of food and medicine to civilians. Better than killing aid workers who had coordinated their movements with the Israel Defense Forces. »
Mr. Andrés maintains that the deaths of his seven colleagues are “the direct result” of Israeli policy, which “reduced humanitarian aid to desperate levels”.