Australia to maintain Israel ties despite outrage over Frankcom probe closure

Australia's relationship with Israel has entered a "difficult" period, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday, 20 August 2026, after Israel's military ruled out criminal proceedings over the killing of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom and six colleagues in Gaza.

Frankcom was among seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) staff killed on 1 April 2024, when an Israeli air strike hit their aid convoy in Gaza. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Reuters reported the strike occurred in Deir al-Balah, while AAP reported the convoy was struck in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza.

Israel's military said the strike was among 150 cases of troop conduct in Gaza it had reviewed, and one of five on which it had reached a decision. It found no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct that would justify opening a criminal investigation.

In a written statement, Wong said Australia was outraged that the Israeli Government had decided not to pursue criminal proceedings against those responsible for Frankcom's death. She said the decision fell "far short of the accountability we expect," and was especially insulting for being announced on World Humanitarian Day.

Doorstop remarks

Speaking to reporters after summoning Israel's ambassador, Hillel Newman, to Parliament House, Wong confirmed Australia would maintain its relationship with Israel despite the decision. "We maintain those relationships because they enable us to engage in order to advance Australia's interests," she said.

Wong said Frankcom's family deserved, at minimum, an apology from Israel. She ruled out expelling Newman despite mounting pressure to do so.

"I deal with Ambassador Hillel as a representative of the government of Israel," Wong said. "Removing an ambassador will remove our ability to be able to engage and press for Australia's interests."

During Senate Question Time, Wong said she had made clear to Newman that the outcome, and the manner in which it was announced, were "outrageous and insulting". She said there was significant anger in the Australian community and she shared it.

Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi asked Wong whether she would expel Newman. Wong said maintaining diplomatic relationships was necessary to advance Australia's interests, not an endorsement of Israel's conduct, adding that a fair-minded assessment would show her government held very different views to that of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that Israel's decision to close the investigation without criminal proceedings was "an outrage," and that the government would not stop pressing Israel for justice for Frankcom and her colleagues.

Israel's non-apology

Newman was driven into Parliament through a back entrance as part of a convoy of black cars. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he said Israel grieved for Frankcom but stopped short of apologising on the government's behalf.

"We express deep sorrow and grief with the family of Zomi Frankcom, and I'd like to tell them straightforward: we grieve with you," Newman said.

Newman declined to apologise for Frankcom's death, saying an apology could imply criminal responsibility. He did not rule out a potential appeal against Israel's decision.

He said the aid convoy had carried armed personnel without informing Israel, and had deviated from its pre-approved route, adding that mistakes were made by both the convoy and the Israeli military. These claims have not been independently corroborated and are attributed to Newman alone.

"One cannot attack findings of a court if the findings are not suitable to one's political agenda," Newman said. He said the findings followed two years of independent inquiry and concluded there was no criminal liability, adding: "We must respect that, as we do in every case of an investigation."

Separately, Israel's military said it would open criminal investigations into two other incidents: the killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab and six family members and two medics in Gaza City in January 2024, and the killing of 15 rescue workers in a convoy of ambulances in Rafah in March 2025.

World Central Kitchen strongly condemned the Israeli military prosecutor's account of the deaths. The organisation said the decision was inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive, adding that the IDF had known its team in Gaza was unarmed and posed no threat, and had full visual clarity on its clearly marked humanitarian vehicles during the extended, multiple air strikes.

Independent MP Sophie Scamps asked Albanese in Parliament whether he would expel the ambassador. Human rights lawyer Chris Sidoti, a member of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, called for Newman's expulsion. Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said sustained engagement with the ambassador remained the government's preferred approach.

Special Adviser Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin's earlier report found the strikes on Frankcom and her colleagues resulted from failures to follow IDF procedures, mistaken identification and errors in decision-making. Israel's military had previously dismissed two officers and reprimanded senior commanders following an internal inquiry into the incident.