Rep. Rashida Tlaib accused Israel of deliberately killing seven humanitarian aid workers from the organization World Central Kitchen in Gaza.
She shared graphic photos on social media claiming the Israeli government knew the coordinates of the aid workers and targeted them, which would constitute a war crime.
The seven victims were delivering food and their vehicles were clearly marked with WCK logos.
WCK and its founder blamed Israel for the attack.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said it was an unintended strike during wartime and pledged a thorough investigation.
“The Israeli government knew that humanitarian workers were in this vehicle,” Tlaib wrote.
“Don’t look away. The government of Israel killed seven humanitarian workers (a war crime). They knew the coordinates of the workers and used it to kill them,” Tlaib wrote.
Tlaib has been a vocal critic of Biden’s support for Israel amid its conflict with Hamas, arguing it could impact Democratic votes in key swing states.
The incident and the partisan divide in the U.S. it exposed come amid heightened tensions between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.
“Biden won Wisconsin by 0.63% in 2020. The [Biden campaign] would rather lose to an indicted criminal, twice impeached candidate than say no to genocide,” Tlaib wrote.
“I am heartbroken and appalled that we – World Central Kitchen and the world – lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF,” WCK CEO Erin Gore said.
“Unfortunately, on the last day, there was a tragic event of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “This happens in war; we are checking thoroughly, we are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything to prevent this from happening again.”
