Tributes for aid worker killed in Gaza who 'helped feed thousands' in Australia

Zomi Frankcom, 43, was killed by an Israeli air strike while distributing food in an "unforgivable" attack.

Ms Frankcom was among a team of volunteers that descended on Bermagui in NSW in the wake of the 2019-2020 bushfires as part of World Central Kitchen.

Along with a team of some 270 volunteers, Zomi helped prepare and deliver countless freshly cooked meals for the many South Coast residents and visitors displaced by the devastating blazes.

Kelly Eastwood of Eastwood's Bermagui said Zomi was "a beautiful life lost far too soon".

"It's just devastating," Ms Eastwood told the Bega District News.

"It brings it home that the work they do, how dangerous it can be and the risks they take.

"They come across as fearless and so brave - they appear unflappable."

Ms Eastwood said Ms Frankcom was one of the first volunteers on the ground in Bermagui once she pivoted her delicatessen and teaching kitchen into a WCK outlet.

Ms Frankcom's "bubbly, positive energy" left an indelible mark on the region.

"She was the one who set up the systems and operations here when we were thinking how on earth we were going to coordinate 270 volunteers," Ms Eastwood said.

"I learnt so much from Zomi. She was a very good mentor, very calm and understanding. She had a great sense of humour and tried to keep it light even though we were in dark times."

Ms Eastwood said while it felt like a lifetime, Zomi and the WCK crew operated out of Bermagui for around seven weeks.

In that time they cooked and delivered - twice a day - upwards of 36,000 hot meals to residents from Mallacoota in the south to Mogo in the north - even to the animals at Mogo Zoo.

"It took a lot of coordination to get hot meals out twice a day, all bang on time to wherever they needed to go along the coast.

"It was all so people would feel we hadn't forgotten them - being half an hour late is not ideal."

Ms Eastwood said "with Zomi's careful guidance we managed to feed thousands on the South Coast, many of whom had lost everything".

"Someone asked me at the time if I needed to take a day off. I think it was Zomi actually.

"I said people don't take a day off needing to eat, and she said 'that's the right answer' and we kept on working right through.

"It's very sad, not just for us who worked with WCK, but she made plenty of friends in Bermagui, helping to pull together our community in its time of need."

In a statement, World Central Kitchen said it was devastated to confirm seven members of its team had been killed in the the Israeli Defence Forces strike in Gaza.

"This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable," said World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore.

"The WCK team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.

"Despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was 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.

"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," Ms Gore said.