‘Australia is outraged’: Penny Wong blasts Israeli Government over decision not to probe Aussie death in Gaza

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is “outraged” that the Israeli Government has decided not to pursue criminal proceedings against those responsible for killing Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues.

“This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect,” Wong said in a statement.

“The Australian Government learned of Israel’s decision late last night, moments before it was announced, on World Humanitarian Day - which is especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians.”

“Zomi represented the best of Australia. Her courage deserves to be celebrated. Her family deserves justice.”

The Israeli Ambassador to Australia Dr. Hillel Newman is expected to be hauled in by the Albanese Government on Thursday.

The IDF released the news in a statement on Wednesday that said it had completed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct in Gaza and made decisions on five cases, including the April 2024 attack on an aid convoy of World Central Kitchen vehicles.

On that incident, the military said there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation”.

The military said it was going ahead with probes into the killings of five-year-old Hind Rajab and her family in February 2024, and of 15 Palestinian paramedics in May 2025, which both prompted global condemnation.

The Australian government and Ms Frankcom’s family have demanded transparency and accountability from Israel over her death on April 1, 2024, when an air strike hit a World Central Kitchen aid convoy in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The convoy was marked, but the Israeli military initially claimed it was being used by Hamas, before later acknowledging the misidentification and errors in the decision-making process.

Two Israeli officers were dismissed from their positions and three senior officers were formally reprimanded, according to the Israeli military.

Australia has requested audio of the drone strike footage on behalf of the family, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised Ms Frankcom’s death with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the leader’s visit in February.

Australia spearheaded a declaration to protect humanitarian personnel, which Foreign Minister Penny Wong launched on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, alongside Ms Frankcom’s brother Mal in September 2025.

Both the killing of Rajab in February 2024 and the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in May 2025 gained international attention.