At least seven workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen Spanish chef José Andrés died on Monday evening in an Israeli army bomb attack on his vehicle in the Deir al Balá governorate in the central Gaza Strip as part of Israel’s offensive against the terrorist group Hamas, Europa Press reports.
Among the deceased There is a British citizen, a Polish citizen, an Irish citizen and an Australian citizen. In addition to the Palestinian driver, no further details have been provided so far, according to the Palestinian newspaper “Filastín”. The NGO has acknowledged the deaths of workers, asserting that it is a “tragedy” and regretting that humanitarian workers should “never be targeted.” This morning, World Central Kitchen has announced that it will cease operations in Gaza.
“We received news that members of the World Central Kitchen team were killed in an attack by Israeli forces while working to support our humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza. It’s a tragedy. Humanitarian workers and civilians should never be killed.” a target. Never,” the NGO posted on its social network account X, formerly Twitter.
The deaths of several humanitarian workers were also confirmed by chef José Andrés himself In a message on the social network. He has also asked the Israeli government to put an end to “this indiscriminate killing.”
“These are people (angels) with whom I served in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, the Bahamas and Indonesia. “They are not faceless people, they are not nameless people,” he added, emphasizing to Israeli authorities the need to “stop restricting humanitarian aid” to the enclave.
“No more loss of innocent lives. Peace begins with our shared humanity. “It must start now,” concluded the chef, calling for “food to be used as weapons” and for “the killing of civilians and aid workers” to stop.
The Israeli army has already announced the launch of a “thorough investigation” into the events and emphasized its “cooperation and coordination” with the NGO “to support their efforts to provide food and humanitarian assistance to the residents of the Gaza Strip.”
World Central Kitchen staff were in the Palestinian enclave as part of the humanitarian mission initiated jointly with the NGO Open Arms to establish a maritime humanitarian corridor between Cyprus and the Gaza Strip, given the enormous difficulties in importing relief supplies overland.
The White House reaction
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom and said his government had contacted Israel and demanded that those responsible be held accountable. “This is a human tragedy that should never have happened, it is completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and appropriate responsibility.”he claimed.
The White House said it was “heartbroken” and “deeply concerned” about the deadly bomber. “Humanitarian workers must be protected as they deliver urgently needed aid, and we urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened,” a National Security Council spokeswoman said.
Images shared online appear to show people’s bodies Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Several of the deceased appear to be wearing protective clothing with the WCK logo, while paramedics show the passports of three of the deceased. The charity worker’s car was reportedly hit by an airstrike shortly after crossing from the northern Gaza Strip.
What does José Andrés’ NGO look like?
WCK provides food assistance and prepares meals for people in need. Last month, more than 42 million meals were served in Gaza over 175 days. José Andrés founded the NGO in 2010 and sent cooks and food to Haiti after an earthquake. Since then, the organization has delivered food to communities affected by natural disasters, to refugees at the US border, to healthcare workers during the Covid pandemic, and to people in conflict in Ukraine and Gaza.