At a pre-inquest review on September 21, 2026, senior coroner Maria Voisin indicated that the UK inquest into the 2024 deaths of three British aid workers in Gaza will expand to include the Israel Defense Forces and Colonel Nochi Mendel. The move follows Israel's controversial decision in August 2026 to close its investigation without criminal charges. Families of the victims are demanding the release of RAF surveillance footage and seeking to determine if UK-made weapons were used in the strike.
The April 1 Drone Strike
- ▪The seven victims of the April 1, 2024 strike were British nationals John Chapman, James "Jim" Henderson, and James Kirby; Australian Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom; Polish national Damian Sobol; US-Canadian dual national Jacob Flickinger; and Palestinian driver Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha.
- ▪The Israeli military maintained that the April 1, 2024 drone strike was launched due to a belief that Hamas had taken control of the World Central Kitchen convoy
- ▪The April 1, 2024 Israeli drone strike targeted a three-car World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, killing seven aid workers who had just unloaded over 100 tonnes of food aid in Deir Al-Balah
UK Inquest Scope and Status
- ▪The UK inquest into the deaths of James Kirby, John Chapman, and James "Jim" Henderson will investigate whether British-made weapons or components from Elbit Systems were used in the April 1, 2024 attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy
- ▪Senior coroner Maria Voisin confirmed she was minded to grant "interested person" status to the Israel Defense Forces, Colonel Nochi Mendel, and the family of deceased Australian national Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom.
- ▪Senior coroner Maria Voisin indicated at a pre-inquest review on September 21, 2026, that the UK inquest into the deaths of three British aid workers in Gaza could be expanded to include the Israel Defense Forces and Colonel Nochi Mendel.
Israeli Military Actions and Decisions
- ▪Colonel Nochi Mendel was removed from his post as chief of staff of the Israeli military's Nahal infantry brigade after the April 1, 2024 attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy
- ▪The Israeli military announced in August 2026 that it would not open a criminal investigation or bring criminal proceedings against the soldiers involved in the April 1, 2024 drone strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy
- ▪The Israeli military previously dismissed two senior officers and reprimanded three others after an internal review published on April 5, 2024, concluded the strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy resulted from breaches of rules of engagement
- ▪Colonel Nochi Mendel, who ordered the drone strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy, stated in an interview that he was "not sorry" for the decision to strike the convoy, though he did not intend to kill aid workers
RAF Surveillance and Intelligence Sharing
- ▪The UK Ministry of Defence has refused to release the unedited Royal Air Force surveillance footage from Gaza on April 1, 2024, the day of the World Central Kitchen strike, to the coroner or the families, citing security reasons
- ▪The families of the deceased British aid workers John Chapman, Jim Henderson and James Kirby are seeking to establish whether a Royal Air Force surveillance plane that flew over Gaza on April 1, 2024, shared intelligence with the Israeli military
International and Political Reactions
- ▪Trish Henderson, the mother of deceased aid worker James "Jim" Henderson, called on the UK government to stop selling arms to Israel and cut ties with the country altogether.
- ▪The UK, Australia, and Canada issued a joint statement condemning Israel's August 2026 decision not to open a criminal investigation into the World Central Kitchen convoy attack as "shameful."
- ▪UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband characterized the April 1, 2024 drone strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy as a "cold-blooded killing" and called the closure of the Israeli investigation appalling
Debatable claims
- ▪Israel should open a criminal investigation into the World Central Kitchen drone strike
- ▪The UK government should implement a complete arms embargo on Israel
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