WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Wednesday urged Israel to take concrete steps to protect aid workers and Palestinian civilians in Gaza “after repeated coordination failures” when he spoke with Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant on Thursday, the Pentagon said.

The call for steps followed an Israeli attack that killed seven World Central Kitchen workers in Gaza this week.

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“Secretary Austin expressed his outrage at the Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen humanitarian aid convoy that killed seven aid workers, including an American citizen,” a statement of the call between the two defence leader said.

Austin also urged Gallant to conduct “a swift and transparent” investigation, to share the conclusions publicly, and to hold those responsible to account, the Pentagon said.