The parents of the American-Canadian aid worker who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza are demanding answers, and saying they have been left in the dark by their two governments.
Jacob Flickinger’s parents, American John Flickinger and Canadian Sylvie Labrecque revealed on Thursday that they have not heard any further details about their son’s death from their elected officials, with the parents only confirming his death through a call with the US embassy in Jerusalem.
“We haven’t been told anything by the United States government or the Canadian government,” John told CBS Mornings. “All we know is what we’ve read and seen on the media.”
Questions still linger about the strike that killed Flickinger, 33, a new dad, and his fellow World Central Kitchen (WCK) staffers who had just delivered more than 100 tons of food to northern Gaza.
WCK founder and celebrity chef Jose Andres, who slammed Israel for the airstrike, alleged that his workers were “systematically” targeted by the IDF despite being in contact with the Israeli military as they made their delivery.
While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized for the strike and attributed it to an error, John and Sylvie are demanding answers on how the mistake was made in the first place as they slammed the IDF as “extremely incompetent.”
“They were aware, the entire world was aware, this food shipment was coming in,” John told CBS. ” The convoy was clearly marked. The vehicles were clearly marked. The facts on the ground seemed to indicate it wasn’t a ‘tragic accident.’
“If it was a terrible mistake, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and I don’t have a horse in this race in terms of the conflict, but then the Israeli military is extremely incompetent and the leaders that are running this campaign are incompetent,” he added.
“Because this is not the first aid convoy or group that has been accidentally killed.”
At least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed in Gaza since the outbreak of the war, according to the United Nations.
Sylvia went on to describe her son, a Canadian Forces veteran of 11 years, as an “exceptional human being” who made the tough choice of leaving behind his 18-month-old son to contribute to the humanitarian efforts in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of refugees are at risk of starvation.
“We’d never be able to stop his passion. That’s where his heart was” Sylvia said of Flickinger volunteer work. “He gave it all, all the way till the end.”