American-Canadian aid worker Jacob Flickinger, who was killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza, was just days away from leaving war-torn region and heading to Egypt over fears for his safety

The American-Canadian aid worker who was killed in an IDF airstrike in Gaza was just days away from leaving the war-torn region. 

Jacob Flickinger, 33, was one of seven charity workers killed by an IDF strike as he and his colleagues from the World Central Kitchen worked to distribute aid to Palestinians.

They were in a convoy of three cars on Monday night when hellfire missiles struck their vehicles. 

His father, John Flickinger, told The Daily Beast that his son was planning to head to Egypt in days as he feared for his safety. 

'The situation was changing daily on the ground with Israel threatening to attack Rafah,' John said. 'That was the last text from him, that he’s going to reassess at the end of the week in Cairo.'

In a Facebook post, Jacob's father said his son 'died doing what he loved,' as he had been volunteering since early March to serve food to Palestinians. 

'Before then, he dedicated his time to World Central Kitchen, also doing a mission in Mexico. He leaves behind his partner Sandy and his one-year-old baby boy,' his family wrote on a GoFundMe page created to collect funds for funeral arrangements and a trust fund for his son. 

The attack has sparked international outrage and has heaped more pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his response to the October 7 terror attacks, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and resulted in more than 30,000 Gazans perishing in retaliatory strikes.

In a statement, World Central Kitchen named Flickinger as one of seven 'beautiful souls' killed during the attack.

John said that his son 'loved' working with the non-profit and stood by their mission. 

'And when the opportunity came to Gaza, he was hesitant, but the need was so great,' his father said.  

John said that Jacob worked hard to provide for his family and took on other jobs such as coaching, personal training and was a wilderness guide. 

He described his late son 'a loving husband and new father,' a role that he said 'changed Jacob in so many ways.' 

'He became very, very focused on raising his son… and they moved to Costa Rica to start a new, kind of a new life there and kind of build a life in a nice tropical country,' John told The Daily Beast.    

President Joe Biden released a statement in the aftermath of the attack and said: 'I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday.

'They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.'

World Central Kitchen officials identified the seven victims of the attack and said that hitting the aid group was 'unforgivable.' 

'These are the heroes of World Central Kitchen,' World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore said in a statement Tuesday.

'These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission.'

'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,' Gore said in a press release. 

Netanyahu admitted his forces carried out the drone strikes and insisted that officials 'will do everything for this not to happen again.' 

He also said the IDF had 'unintentionally [hit] innocent people in the Gaza Strip... it happens in war'.

Israel’s military chief Herzi Halevi said: 'I want to be very clear, the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened.' 

The WCK said its team had been travelling in a 'deconflicted' area at the time. Its vehicles' roofs were marked with WCK branding. 

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called for an urgent investigation.

'Humanitarian workers are heroes,' Blinken said. 'They show the best of what humanity has to offer. I extend my deepest condolences to those who lost their lives in the strike in Gaza.'

'There must be a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation into this incident.' 

The other workers that were killed in the attack have been identified as Laizawmi 'Zomi' Frankcom, 43, from Australia, Damian Soból, 35, from Poland and Saideffin Issam Ayad Abutah, 25, the group's Palestinian driver. 

James 'Jim' Henderson, James Kirby, and John Chapman, three British workers, were also killed in the airstrike. 

The charity workers were 'leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route' at the time of the strike.' 

They had just crossed in from the north after helping deliver aid that had arrived hours earlier on a ship from Cyprus, sources have claimed, and were killed on the Al Rashid Road, which runs parallel to the Mediterranean Sea.

Local Nael Eliyan, living in a tent yards away, sprinted to the wreckage shortly after the precision R9X Hellfire missile slammed into the vehicle.

'Their injuries were serious and they died quickly,' he said.

Harrowing pictures showed how a huge hole had been blown in the roof of one car, with its interior torn to shreds. Another vehicle was missing most of its rear end.

Other pictures showed World Central Kitchen staff mourning their dead colleagues as their bodies were loaded into an ambulance. 

The IDF responded to the airstrike deaths, with spokesperson Daniel Hagari saying: 'Last night, an incident took place in Gaza that resulted in the tragic death of World Central Kitchen employees as they fulfilled their vital mission of bringing food to people in need.'

'As a professional military committed to international law, we are committed to examining our operations thoroughly and transparently. I just spoke to WCK Founder, Chef Jose Anders, and expressed the deepest condolences of the Israel Defense Forces to the families and the entire World Central Kitchen family.'

'We also express sincere sorrow to our allied nations who have been doing and continue to do so much to assist those in need. We have been reviewing the incident at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of what happened and how it happened.

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