Families pay tribute as bodies of three British aid workers repatriated from Gaza

The trio were among seven charity workers killed in an airstrike
Robert Dex @RobDexES11 April 2024

The families of three British aid workers killed in an Israeli drone strike in Gaza have paid tribute following the repatriation of their bodies to the UK.

James Kirby’s family said he will be “missed by so many”, adding they were “overwhelmed by the support shown”.

“As a family we are shocked and saddened by the sudden death of our beautiful James, who we lost on the 2nd April,” they said.

(left-right) John Chapman, James ‘Jim’ Henderson and James Kirby

James “Jim” Henderson’s family described him as a “kind, compassionate, loyal and considerate man, our shining light”.

“We as a family are deeply shocked, saddened and upset at the untimely tragic death of Jim,” they said.

The family of John Chapman said: “John was an incredible husband, father, brother, son and friend who will be missed deeply and he was an inspiration to many.

“We are devastated by this unbearable loss but are hugely relieved to have John home.”

They were among seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers who died in airstrikes carried out by the IDF.

Israeli officials have dismissed two officers over the strikes, which were described as a “grave mistake stemming from a serious failure”.

The UK Government faces calls to suspend arms sales to Israel following the deaths of three British aid workers
AP

Three other senior officers were also reprimanded for their roles in the strike, which took place in Gaza.

The attack on the WCK aid convoy has resulted in rebuke from Israel’s allies, while MPs from across the political spectrum questioned whether the UK should continue exporting arms to the Middle Eastern country.

Israeli authorities say 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and roughly 250 people taken hostage when Hamas attacked last year.

More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the following seven months, according to local health authorities, with most of the territory’s 2.3 million people displaced and vast swathes of the Gaza Strip now uninhabitable.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in