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Australian PM Confirms Aid Worker Killed in Gaza Strike Was Australian National

Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)
Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)
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Australian PM Confirms Aid Worker Killed in Gaza Strike Was Australian National

Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)
Destruction in Gaza caused by Israeli airstrikes (AP)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday confirmed one of several aid workers killed in a strike on Gaza was an Australian national.

Albanese said volunteer Zomi Frankcom had been doing "extraordinarily valuable work" helping distribute food in the besieged Gaza Strip with aid outfit World Central Kitchen.

"This is completely unacceptable. Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers," Albanese said, before offering his "sincere condolences" to Frankcom's family, AFP reported.

"I didn't have the honor of knowing her," he added.

"She just wanted to help out through this charity. That says everything about the character of this young woman."

The bodies of four foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver were brought to a hospital in the town of Deir el-Balah after an Israeli strike targeted their vehicle, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

World Central Kitchen is one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat from Cyprus.

Australia will be seeking an explanation from Israeli officials, Albanese said.

"We want full accountability for this, because this is a tragedy that should never have occurred."

The Israeli military has said it was "conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident".

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Chinese Hackers Reportedly Breached US Court Wiretap Systems

FILE PHOTO: US and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Chinese Hackers Reportedly Breached US Court Wiretap Systems

FILE PHOTO: US and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Chinese hackers accessed the networks of US broadband providers and obtained information from systems that the federal government uses for court-authorized wiretapping, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Verizon Communications, AT&T and Lumen Technologies are among the telecoms companies whose networks were breached by the recently discovered intrusion, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The hackers might have held access for months to network infrastructure used by the companies to cooperate with court-authorized US requests for communications data, the newspaper said. It said the hackers had also accessed other tranches of internet traffic.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Beijing has in the past denied claims by the US government and others that it has used hackers to break into foreign computer systems.
Verizon Communications, AT&T and Lumen Technologies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Wall Street Journal said the attack was carried out by a Chinese hacking group with the aim of collecting intelligence. US investigators have dubbed it "Salt Typhoon.”
Earlier this year, US law enforcement disrupted a major Chinese hacking group nicknamed "Flax Typhoon," months after confronting Beijing about sweeping cyber espionage under a campaign named "Volt Typhoon."