An Israeli airstrike unintentionally targeted a convoy of the World Central Kitchen, a food charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. This unfortunate incident led to the death of seven aid workers and has caused a significant disruption in the delivery of much-needed food aid to Gaza.
The Israeli forces were responding to a surprise attack by Hamas-led militants into southern Israel on Oct. 7. However, the strike on the World Central Kitchen convoy was unintended.
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, acknowledged the unintended strike and promised to investigate the incident to prevent such occurrences in the future. “Officials are looking into the strike and would do everything for this not to happen again,” Netanyahu stated.
The aid workers were traveling in a three-car convoy, which included two armored vehicles. Despite their movements being coordinated with the Israeli army, they were hit by the airstrike.
The bodies of the aid workers were found in a hospital in the southern city of Rafah on the Egyptian border. Among the deceased were three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, an American-Canadian dual citizen, and a Palestinian.
In a heartfelt tweet, World Central Kitchen paid tribute to the fallen aid workers: “These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories,” wrote Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen.
“These are the heroes of WCK. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day’s mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories.” – Erin Gore, CEO. Read more: https://t.co/4f38RQ1l4I pic.twitter.com/neAsSzKVP5
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) April 2, 2024
The World Central Kitchen has been a key player in the recently opened sea route, which offered some hope for northern Gaza. The U.N. reports that much of the population in this region is on the brink of starvation, largely cut off from the rest of the territory by Israeli forces. The charity’s operations have now been suspended, leading to a halt in the delivery of vital food aid to Gaza.
José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, expressed his grief over the incident. “The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he wrote.
The United States, Britain, Poland, and Australia have called for an investigation or an explanation from Israel and expressed dismay at the incident. The United States, which has provided key military and diplomatic support for Israel’s offensive, has touted the sea route and plans to build its own floating dock, with construction expected to take several weeks.
In a recent tweet, NBC Politics quoted Secretary Blinken on the incident: “We’ve spoken directly with the Israeli government about this particular incident … We’ve urged a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened,” Blinken says on 7 World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in a reported Israeli airstrike.
“We’ve spoken directly with the Israeli government about this particular incident … We’ve urged a swift, thorough, and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened,” Sec. Blinken says on 7 World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in a reported Israeli airstrike. pic.twitter.com/s9FDh8HggH
— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) April 2, 2024
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said the U.S. was “heartbroken and deeply troubled” by the strike, while British Foreign Secretary David Cameron called it “deeply distressing.”
“It is essential that humanitarian workers are protected and able to carry out their work,” Cameron wrote, saying his country was working to verify reports of the deaths of U.K. nationals.
Cyprus, which has played a key role in trying to establish a sea route to bring food to the territory, said ships that recently arrived were turning back — with some 240 tons of undelivered aid. Around 100 tons of aid had been unloaded before the charity suspended operations, and the remaining 240 tons of aid would be transported back to Cyprus.
The ongoing conflict has led to a growing humanitarian disaster in Gaza’s north. Several countries worked to open a sea route, hoping it would allow more aid to enter the territory, where supplies have only trickled in through the land routes controlled by Israel. The United States and other countries have also airdropped aid, but humanitarian workers say such efforts are far from sufficient to meet mounting needs.
The situation is further complicated as Israel has barred UNRWA, the main U.N. agency in Gaza, from making deliveries to the north. Other aid groups say sending truck convoys north has been too dangerous because of the military’s failure to ensure safe passage.
The conflict has resulted in the death of at least 32,916 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel blames the civilian toll on Palestinian militants because they fight in dense residential areas but the army rarely comments on individual strikes.
As the conflict continues, the need for a resolution becomes increasingly urgent. The tragic incident involving World Central Kitchen underscores the dire situation in Gaza and the urgent need for peace and humanitarian aid. Erin Gore, the CEO of the charity, said “this is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable.”
