Two British aid workers killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza food convoy are ... trends now

A British special forces hero and a former Royal Marine were among the three British aid workers killed in an Israeli drone attack on a food aid convoy in Gaza.

John Chapman and James Henderson were travelling in a clearly marked car operated by World Central Kitchen (WCK), a charity providing meals to Palestinians in the war-torn enclave, when the convoy was hit with three missiles fired by an IDF drone yesterday.

Henderson, 33, was a former special forces operator and a member of the Royal Marines for six years. Following his exit from the military in 2016, he had worked a series of close personal security jobs before volunteering to work with WCK.

Chapman, 57, had only been in Gaza for a few weeks when he was killed. The ex-Royal Marine and married father-of-two had been working for the same security company as Henderson, The Sun reported.

Henderson's family were only informed of his death on Tuesday morning, a day after he was killed, neighbours in Falmouth, Cornwall, told MailOnline.

A close friend said: 'Everybody is gutted, he was a lovely lad. He hadn't been out there long, only a couple of weeks.'

'The group he was working for broke the news to the family this morning.'

A friend, who revealed the ex Royal Marine had served prior stints in the Middle East, told The Sun he was a 'brilliant bloke' and is urging officials to provide more support to aid workers.

He said: 'People trying to deliver aid into Gaza are doing the right thing and they need support and protection from people like John and his colleagues to do their job.' 

Henderson was among seven people, including two other Brits, who were killed in the Israeli attack on the convoy as it travelled along Al-Rashid road between Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in central Gaza.

It comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted his forces carried out the drone strikes and insisted that officials 'will do everything for this not to happen again'.

Hours earlier, his British counterpart Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary David Cameron demanded an immediate investigation into the deaths and a 'full, transparent explanation'. 

'There are questions that must be answered,' Sunak told reporters today, adding he was 'deeply shocked and saddened' by the news.

Horrific photographs showed how a huge hole had been blown in the roof of one car, with the vehicle's interior torn to shreds by the force of the blast. 

Another vehicle was missing most of its rear end after being hit by the Israeli munitions, with charred debris littering the roadside in harrowing images. 

Bloodstains were clearly seen spattered across the white paint of the aid vehicles.

Writing on X, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said: 'British Nationals are reported to have been killed, we are urgently working to verify this information and will provide full support to their families.

'It is essential that humanitarian workers are protected and able to carry out their work. We have called on Israel to immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened.'

World Central Kitchen (WCK) said in a statement that seven aid workers from the UK, Australia, Poland, dual citizens of the US and Canada, and Palestine were killed while travelling in a deconflicted zone.

The workers had just crossed in from the north after helping deliver aid that had arrived hours earlier on a ship from Cyprus, sources have claimed.

Harrowing footage shared online appeared to show the bodies of the dead at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Several of them wore protective gear with the charity's logo.

In comments to journalists this morning, Prime Minister Sunak said: 'We are asking Israel to investigate what happened urgently, because clearly there are questions that need to be answered.'

Mr Sunak added: 'My thoughts are with their friends and family.

'They are doing fantastic work bringing alleviation to the suffering that many are experiencing in Gaza.

'They should be praised and commended for what they are doing.

'They need to be allowed to do that work unhindered and it is incumbent on Israel to make sure they can do that.'

The IDF said it has launched a probe into the incident at the 'highest levels' and reiterated that it has been 'working closely' with the charity, but also 'makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid'. 

IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari later said in a statement that he had 'expressed the deepest condolences of the Israel Defence Forces to the families and the entire World Central Kitchen family'.

'We will be opening a probe to examine this serious incident further.

'This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again.

'The incident will be investigated in the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism: an independent, professional, and expert body.'

WCK CEO Erin Gore said this morning: 'This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable.

'I am heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. 

'The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished.'

The Australian victim was named this morning as Lalzawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 44, from Melbourne, while the Polish victim was named as Damian Sobol.