World Central Kitchen, the food charity founded by José Andrés, has halted its operations in Gaza after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers, mostly foreigners. The organization is pausing its work in the region and reevaluating its long-term plans after the incident. Known for providing food aid in areas affected by disasters and conflicts, World Central Kitchen has been bringing desperately needed food to Gazans facing widespread hunger. Its absence, even if temporary, is likely to deepen the territory’s misery as the United Nations warns of an imminent famine.
Founded in 2010, World Central Kitchen delivers freshly prepared meals to people in need following natural disasters, conflicts, and other crises. The organization sends in teams who can cook meals on a large scale and fast, tailored to the local palate. World Central Kitchen has worked in dozens of affected areas around the world and currently has teams in Haiti, Ukraine, and Gaza. The charity’s work in Gaza includes providing over 43 million meals to Palestinians through main kitchens and community kitchens throughout the territory, distributing food boxes during Ramadan, and leading shipments of aid to northern Gaza by sea.
During the war in Gaza, World Central Kitchen has been on the frontlines, providing aid to Palestinians as well as Israelis and refugees from Lebanon. The group has set up kitchens in Rafah and Deir al-Balah, supporting community kitchens with the distribution of over 170,000 hot meals daily. The charity has also conducted airdrops and led two shipments by sea carrying hundreds of tons of food for northern Gaza, where the food emergency is most acute. José Andrés credited the charity’s sea deliveries with prompting the U.S. to declare it would build a floating pier for aid delivered to Gaza by sea.
With World Central Kitchen suspending its operations in Gaza, tens of thousands of meals a day will no longer be distributed, leaving a significant gap in aid delivery. While other organizations, including the U.N., are still providing assistance to Palestinians, supply shortages and logistical challenges hinder the distribution of aid within Gaza. Israel denies there is a food shortage in the territory and attributes the slow delivery of aid to the U.N. and other organizations. Cyprus, which has been involved in aid shipments to Gaza, plans to continue sending aid as humanitarian needs persist.
The absence of World Central Kitchen in Gaza raises concerns about the continuity of aid distribution, especially through sea shipments that the group has led. While the charity is reassessing its plans in the region following the deadly strike, other organizations and countries like Cyprus are committing to continuing aid shipments to Gaza. President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus indicated that more aid could be sent to Gaza from Cyprus in the near future, as the U.S. completes the construction of a floating pier off the territory’s coastline. As Gaza faces mounting challenges, the efforts of aid organizations remain crucial in providing much-needed support to the vulnerable population.
