Key Points
- Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom is among five employees from the World Central Kitchen killed in Gaza.
- Her family have paid tribute to her as a "brave and beloved" person.
- Friends say she was selfless and caring, helping bushfire-hit communities in Australia.
She was known to her family and friends simply as "Zomi".
"A bloody legend", is how NSW resident Karuna Bajracharya describes his friend, whose full name is Lalzawmi Frankcom.
For years, Frankcom had been working around the world with the non-government organisation World Central Kitchen to deliver food aid to people in need. On social media, her posts recounted visits to communities hit by flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh, to helping Ukrainian refugees in Romania, and residents in Haiti.
Her last mission would be to feed hungry Palestinians in Gaza.
Frankcom, along with six other aid worker colleagues, .
The Frankcom family issued this photo along with a statement paying tribute to Lalzawmi "Zomi" Frankcom (bottom centre), an Australian aid worker killed delivering food in Gaza. Source: Supplied
, Israel's top diplomat in Australia has been requested for a call-in, while the Israeli military said it was investigating the reports of the aid worker deaths.
Family and friends shocked and horrified by Zomi's death
Her family described her as "brave and beloved".
"We are deeply mourning the news that our brave and beloved Zomi has been killed doing the work she loves delivering food to the people of Gaza," a statement from the Frankcom family said.
"She was a kind, selfless and outstanding human being that has traveled the world helping others in their time of need. She will leave behind a legacy of compassion, bravery and love for all those in her orbit.
"We are still reeling from the shock and we humbly request privacy during this difficult time".
Lalzawmi Frankcom, known to her friends as Zomi, worked around the world for the NGO World Central Kitchen. Credit: Supplied
"This (social media) feed came up and I didn't know what the post was about. I saw 'World Central Kitchen' and the second post had her passport on it," he told SBS News.
Bajracharya said his friend was a "larger than life" character and a caring person, saying she helped provide free meals and aid to communities in Braidwood after the Black Summer bushfires.
"That's the kind of person she was, if there was trouble somewhere she'd drop everything and be there.
"You could always hear her voice at a party, she had a big laugh."
Albanese said Frankcom was doing "extraordinarily valuable work" and had volunteered in Australia to help people during the bushfires.
"This is someone who was volunteering overseas to provide aid through this charity for people who are suffering tremendous deprivation in Gaza," he said.
"This is just completely unacceptable. Australia expects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable."
Frankcom was featured in a post from the organisation last week showcasing the food it was providing to the people of Gaza. The UN has repeatedly warned of the risk of famine in Gaza from an ongoing siege imposed by Israel in response to the Hamas attacks on 7 October.
The Australian Council for International Development, the peak body for aid and humanitarian agencies, said humanitarian workers in conflict zones should be ensured safety by combatants to carry out their lifesaving work.
"It is truly tragic that an Australian aid worker, working to provide food to starving civilians, has been killed in this fashion," said chief executive Marc Purcell.
"We call on the Australian government to urge the Israeli government to cease attacks on aid convoys and to allow for the safe land passage of humanitarian assistance.
"Further, Australia should protest in the strongest possible terms the starvation of civilians. Starving civilians is a breach of the laws of war, international law and common decency."
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers would be investigated by an "independent, professional, and expert body".
Hagari also said he had spoken with the group's founder Jose Anders and expressed deepest condolences.
"We also express sincere sorrow to our allied nations who have been doing and continue to do so much to assist those in need," he said in the statement.
