Canberra, August 20, 2026 — Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, was summoned to Parliament House on Thursday after Israel’s military cleared its soldiers of criminal wrongdoing in the 2024 Gaza airstrike that killed Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom.
The IDF Ruling
Israel’s military announced it had completed reviews of 150 incidents involving troop conduct in Gaza, including the April 2024 strike that killed Frankcom and six other aid workers from World Central Kitchen. The military’s statement said there was no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify opening a criminal investigation into the commanders involved in the strike. The announcement was made on World Humanitarian Day.
Australia’s Response
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her office learned of Israel’s decision only moments before it was made public. She summoned Newman to Parliament House, where he arrived Thursday in a convoy of vehicles entering through a rear entrance.
Wong told reporters that Israel’s decision fell far short of the accountability her government expects. She said she has no confidence in the investigation that cleared the soldiers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said separately that Israel had not met the standard of accountability the situation required.
Wong said she has directed Australia’s ambassador to Israel to formally convey the Australian government’s position to Israeli officials as Canberra considers further steps. She did not specify what those steps might involve.
Asked whether Australia would expel Newman, Wong said she would not do so, stating that removing the ambassador would limit Australia’s ability to press its interests directly with the Israeli government.
Israel’s Response
Newman spoke to reporters after the meeting with Wong. He said Israel grieves with Frankcom’s family and expressed sorrow over the circumstances of her death. He stopped short of issuing a formal apology, saying he had been advised that doing so could carry legal ramifications.
Newman said the aid convoy Frankcom was traveling in had included armed personnel without prior notice to Israel and had deviated from a pre-approved route. He said Israel’s findings followed a two-year investigation and that findings from that process should not be dismissed on political grounds.
Background
Zomi Frankcom, an Australian citizen, was killed alongside six international colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Gaza in April 2024. The strike drew international condemnation at the time. Israel’s military review process examined the incident as part of a broader assessment of 150 cases involving troop conduct during the Gaza campaign.
Frankcom’s family has previously called for transparency and accountability regarding the circumstances of her death.
