World Central Kitchen, a disaster relief charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, announced that seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip. The organization has paused its operations in the region following this tragic incident, which has raised concerns about the future of aid deliveries to Gaza. World Central Kitchen had been bringing much-needed food aid to the region, where the population is facing a severe humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
José Andrés expressed his grief over the loss of his colleagues and called on the Israeli government to cease indiscriminate killing and restrictions on humanitarian aid. The Israel Defense Forces have not yet confirmed responsibility for the deaths, stating that they are conducting a thorough review of the incident. The IDF has previously worked closely with World Central Kitchen in providing aid to Gaza and has announced a probe into the incident in an effort to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
The charity’s team had coordinated with the Israeli military and was traveling in marked vehicles in a “deconflicted zone” when they were hit by the air strike. The convoy had just unloaded over 100 tons of food aid in central Gaza, brought by sea as part of a new U.S.-backed effort to increase aid flow to the region. The deaths of six international aid workers and a Palestinian driver have caused shock and mourning among their relatives and colleagues, as they were carrying out vital assistance efforts in Gaza.
The U.S. and other countries have called for a swift investigation into the incident, with demands for transparency and accountability for the deaths of the aid workers. Australia, Poland, and the U.K. have condemned the strike and expressed concerns about violations of international humanitarian law. World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore described the incident as an attack on humanitarian organizations providing aid in dire situations where food has been used as a weapon of war, calling the strike unforgivable.
The charity’s suspension of aid deliveries following the air strike adds uncertainty to efforts to increase aid flow to northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are facing severe shortages of water and food. Israel has maintained a blockade and tightly controlled land crossings into Gaza since the war began, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. The international community, led by the U.S., has been pushing for increased aid to Gaza, with President Joe Biden announcing an emergency mission to build a temporary pier for delivering humanitarian supplies by sea.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with over 32,900 people killed since the start of the war, according to local health officials. The United Nations has warned of an imminent famine in Gaza, as the population of over 2 million continues to suffer from shortages of essential resources. The deaths of the aid workers from World Central Kitchen highlight the challenges faced by humanitarian organizations operating in conflict zones, where they risk their lives to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations.
