The US-based charity said the dead included citizens of Britain, Poland, Australia, as well as a US-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian.
NGO calls on Israel to ‘stop this indiscriminate killing’
World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés said his workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike and called on the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu to “stop this indiscriminate killing”, “stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers and stop using food as a weapon.”
The Hamas-run press office in Gaza also blames Israel. The group condemned the attack in a statement on Tuesday, urging the international community and the United Nations to “take action”.
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“Attack against humanitarian organizations”
WCK says the group was attacked after leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, where it had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by ship and had been coordinating its movements with Israeli forces.
Aid workers were traveling in a “deconflicted zone in two armored cars with the WCK logo” and a normal vehicle, the organization’s latest statement said.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, but also an attack against humanitarian organizations that appear in the worst situations where food is used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” commented Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen.
A video from Deir al-Balah hospital in central Gaza shows the bodies of several aid workers and their foreign passports. The victims wear clothing, including bulletproof vests, with the World Central Kitchen logo.
In the wake of the attack, WCK announced it was suspending operations and said it would soon make decisions about the future of its business.
Israel’s reaction
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
“The IDF is making extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and has been working closely with the WCK in its vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the Israeli military said.
World Central Kitchen provides meals in disaster-affected regions and communities around the world. It is one of the few humanitarian organizations delivering much-needed food to the Gaza Strip, where 2.2 million people are without food and where aid agencies warn that half the population is on the brink of starvation due to Israel’s blockade of aid and the widespread destruction caused by the war with Hamas that broke out on October 7.
Photo: Profimedia
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Tags: unforgivable Aid workers World Central Kitchen organization killed attack Gaza Strip Israels reaction
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