Seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen were killed yesterday during an attack in Gaza led by the Israel Defense Forces. The humanitarian organization, which provides food relief all around the world, often in war-torn areas, said that it will pause its operations in the region.
World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore said in a statement, "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."
The organization noted that the individuals who were killed were from Britain, Australia, Poland, and Palestine. One volunteer was a dual American-Canadian Citizen.
Chef José Andrés Is 'Heartbroken' Over the Loss
Chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, José Andrés, made a statement on X.
"Today @WCKitchen lost several of our sisters and brothers in an IDF airstrike in Gaza. I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family. These are people...angels...I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless...they are not nameless. 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. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now."
At the end of March, World Central Kitchen announced that it had served more than 42 million meals in 175 days in Gaza.
The U.S. Urges Israel to Investigate
U.S. Spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, said in a statement that U.S. officials are "heartbroken and deeply troubled" by the strike.
She continued, "Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened," Watson said.
Israel Promises 'Thorough Review' and Transparency
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the attack while leaving a hospital post-hernia surgery. "Unfortunately, in the last day, there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip," Netanyahu said. "It happens in war, we check it to the end. We are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again."
The Israeli Defense Fund said in a statement that it is conducting a "thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident." It continued, "The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza."
IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a taped message on X that the IDF will be opening a probe to examine the incident further. "This will help us reduce the risk of such an event from occurring again," he said, adding, "We will get to the bottom of this, and we will share our findings transparently." He also noted that he spoke with José Andrés and "expressed the deepest condolences."
No Backup Plan to Feed Gaza Without World Central Kitchen
According to the most recent report from the Times of Israel, there is no plan in place to provide food to residents of Gaza if World Central Kitchen does not resume its humanitarian aid in the region. It also notes that the WCK aid ship Jennifer, which arrived in Gaza on Monday, was seen returning to Cyprus on Tuesday.
