“They died while doing what this NGO has been doing for years, which is feeding people in the middle of so much devastation,” Sánchez said on a visit to the Jabal el-Hussein Palestinian refugee camp in neighbouring Jordan.

“I expect and demand that the Israeli government clarify as soon as possible the circumstances of this brutal attack that has taken the lives of seven aid workers who were doing nothing but helping,” he added.

Horrorizado ante la muerte de siete trabajadores humanitarios de @WCKitchen en un ataque aéreo en Gaza. Le acabo de trasladar a @chefjoseandres mi más sincero pésame y todo mi cariño y apoyo para él y su equipo.

Vuestra solidaridad, altruismo y compromiso con los que más lo… https://t.co/tKTFK7rqeZ

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 2, 2024

Food aid organisation World Central Kitchen said it was pausing its operations in Gaza after the “targeted Israeli strike” on Monday killed Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian staff.

Founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef José Andrés, the charity feeds communities affected by conflict. It was set up by Andres and his wife Patricia in 2020 following a devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The Israeli army said Tuesday it would hold an investigation into the air strike and pledged to “share our findings transparently”.

“We will be opening a probe to examine this serious incident further,” armed forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video statement.

“This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again,” Rear Admiral Hagari added.

Sánchez arrived in Amman late on Monday on the first leg of a Middle East tour that will also take him to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.