In a heartbreaking turn of events, the family of slain Australian relief worker Zomi Frankcom has expressed their profound disappointment with Israel’s decision not to file criminal charges in connection to the attack that claimed her life.
Tensions escalated as the Australian government condemned the decision, summoning Israeli ambassador Hillel Newman for a stern diplomatic conversation. However, officials have stopped short of expelling the ambassador despite public pressure to do so.
In a statement released overnight, Israel’s military disclosed that it had found no evidence of criminal misconduct in the strike on Gaza in April 2024, which resulted in the death of Frankcom and six other aid workers, effectively closing the case.
Zomi’s brother, Mal Frankcom, lamented that the timing of the announcement on World Humanitarian Day was “an affront to my sister’s legacy.”
“The families of the six other World Central Kitchen aid workers and I have been yearning for over two years, advocating diligently for an independent criminal investigation,” he emphasized in a heartfelt message.
“Zomi and her colleagues deserve more than an internal, opaque process that ends with a short statement by the Israeli Military absolving their soldiers of criminal wrongdoing. The families of the victims deserve transparency and an independent judicial assessment of the criminal responsibility for the international humanitarian law violations that took place on that day.”
Mal Frankcom said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had previously noted serious failures and errors in decision making were behind the attack.
“We are now told by the same IDF that there is no wrongdoing worth referring to a criminal investigation,” he said. “As a family, we do not believe this to be accurate, and we continue to call for an independent investigation.”
He called on the Australian government to “pursue all available legal avenues for an independent and credible investigation to be conducted”, and to press for video and audio drone footage that Israel has not released.
Israel’s military announced on Wednesday night it had completed reviews of 150 cases of troop conduct in Gaza and made decisions on five cases, including the 1 April 2024 attack on an aid convoy that killed seven humanitarian workers, including Frankcom, in Khan Younis.
It said it had launched criminal investigations into two high-profile attacks on Palestinians during the war, but not into the April 2024 strike, adding there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify the opening of a criminal investigation”.
Frankcom’s 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.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier said Israel had fallen short of the accountability required and the federal government would continue to press for justice for Frankcom and her colleagues.
“Israel’s decision to close their investigation without criminal proceedings is an outrage,” Albanese told Parliament on Thursday.
His comments echoed those of Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who labelled the timing of Israel’s announcement “insulting” after learning of the decision hours after launching the Zomi Frankcom award for aid workers in the presence of her family.
“To learn of these developments in these circumstances was especially insulting and hurtful to Zomi’s loved ones, to humanitarians, and to Australians.”
Wong said she had “made clear” to Newman “Australia’s view that Israel’s decision falls far short of the accountability we expect”.
She said Australia’s ambassador to Israel had conveyed the same message directly to Israeli authorities last night, including her foreign counterpart.
‘Many unanswered questions’
Earlier on Thursday, after meeting with Wong, Newman defended Israel’s military’s decision and said no “criminal liability” was found in the investigations.
But Wong said “there are still many unanswered questions”.
“Even if the first strike was a catastrophic error, two further strikes followed, each two minutes apart,” she said.
“These strikes were in violation of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) standard operating procedures and rules of engagement. We still have not had a satisfactory explanation of why the strike occurred in a humanitarian fire control zone.”
“We have not received the drone audio as requested multiple times by the government on behalf of Zomi’s family.”
Australia has previously requested audio of the drone strike footage on behalf of the family, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese raised Frankcom’s death with Israeli President Isaac Herzog during the leader’s visit in February.
Israel’s military said on Wednesday it would proceed with probes into two other incidents: the killings of Hind Rajab and her family in February 2024, and of 15 Palestinian paramedics in May 2025, which both prompted global condemnation.
Both the killing of Rajab in February 2024 and the killing of 15 Palestinian medics in May 2025 gained international attention.
Rajab was killed alongside her relatives while trying to flee Gaza City amid an Israeli offensive.
Response to calls to remove the ambassador
The IDF’s decision not to pursue a criminal investigation drew criticism from human rights advocates and politicians across the political spectrum.
Chris Sidoti — a commissioner at the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, which does not speak on behalf of the UN — said there was little confidence in Israeli military investigations and called for Israel’s ambassador to be expelled, accusing him of interfering in Australian politics and failing Australian citizens.
“His government now has failed Australian citizens. So he should be told that he’s going home,” he told ABC Radio National on Thursday.
Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi also backed the ambassador’s expulsion, arguing the Albanese government had failed to secure justice for Frankcom and other aid workers.
Opposition defence spokesperson James Paterson said the decision was “incredibly concerning” and called for a full briefing, while Nationals MP Anne Webster defended Israel’s right to follow its own legal processes.
World Central Kitchen, the charity Frankcom was working for when she was killed, described the decision as “deeply offensive” and said there was “never any excuse or justification” for the strikes.
Wong rejected calls to expel Newman, saying it would hamper the federal government’s ability to engage with Israel and “press for Australia’s interests”.
“We don’t maintain diplomatic relations as an endorsement of any particular country,” she said.
She said it was a “difficult time” in the Australia-Israel relationship and that Frankcom’s family “deserves an apology”, which Newman has previously refused.
Ambassador defends IDF decision
Newman told reporters on Thursday that Israel was sorry for the humanitarian worker’s death.
He said he was “very sorry” for Frankcom’s family and expressed “deep sorrow and grief” but would not be drawn on a formal apology, saying it would have “legal ramifications”.
“I cannot accept liability on behalf of the state of Israel for the family, but I can express deep sorrow and grief. We see it as a tragedy,” he said.
He didn’t rule out a potential appeal of Israel’s decision.
Newman said the aid convoy decided to put armed personnel on it without telling Israel, and deviated from the pre-approved route.
“One cannot attack findings of a court if the findings are not suitable to one’s political agenda,” he said.
“The findings of the court came to the conclusion after two years of independent research that there’s no criminal liability. We must respect that, as we do in every case of a investigation.”
Asked why Israel had not released drone footage of the strike, Newman said: “I do not know what is actually in that”.
He said there were concerns the footage could contain sensitive intelligence.
Newsman said mistakes were made by both the aid convoy and the Israeli military.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press.