Devastating Israeli airstrikes that caused the lost of World Central Kitchen WCK personnel on Monday bring the number of aid workers killed in Gaza’s conflict to 196, including over 175 members of United Nations staff, the World Body Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres revealed this in his reaction.
On Tuesday, the World Central Kitchen in a statement confirmed that seven members of its team were killed in an Israeli Defense Force strike in Gaza, narrated that the team was traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.
It stated that despite coordinating movements with the IDF, the convoy was hit as it was leaving Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.
According to the World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore, “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”, he added.
The seven killed are from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and Palestine. “I’m heartbroken and appalled that we—World Central Kitchen and the world—lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF.
“The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” said Erin.
World Central Kitchen has said its pausing its operations immediately in the region. “We will be making decisions about the future of our work soon. The IDF says it is “carrying out an in-depth examination at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
The World Health Organization Director-General, Dr Tedro Ghebreyesus who expressed sadness over the incident said “how many more lives will be lost until there’s ceasefire? We’re outraged by the killing of humanitarian workers in Gaza.
“Safety is a basic requirement for the delivery of life-saving aid. Our deepest condolences to the WCK team and affected families. We once again call for the sustained protection of humanitarian workers across Gaza, Dr Ghebreyesus added.
United Kingdom Secretary of Foreign Affair, David Cameron in his reaction on X said the news of the airstrike that killed World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza is deeply distressing. “British Nationals are reported to have been killed, we are urgently working to verify this information and will provide full support to their families.
He pointed out that these were people who were working to deliver life-saving aid to those who desperately need it. “It is essential that humanitarian workers are protected and able to carry out their work. We have called on Israel to immediately investigate and provide a full, transparent explanation of what happened”.
United States Congressman, Jamie Raskin in a statement said, “My staff, my constituents and I are all devastated and shocked by the killing in Gaza of seven humanitarian food aid workers with the World Central Kitchen, which was founded by Maryland Eighth District resident and Local Hero Chef José Andrés.
He added, “Our love and sympathy go to the victims’ families and friends. We recently recognized Chef José Andrés as a Local Hero for his remarkable commitment and drive to bring food aid to people suffering from war, oppression and disaster all over the world, including Gaza.
Raskin said further that these seven fallen World Central Kitchen workers, acting to feed hungry and increasingly starving population of Gaza, will be forever remembered for their compassion and bravery in the face of inhumanity, war and moral indifference.
He endorsed the urgent and plain sentiments of Chef José Andrés who said in response to this nightmare: ‘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.’ The Israeli Defense Forces has said it will investigate how this catastrophe happened. The world, including the United States of America, waits for a complete accounting and explanation”, he said.
According to him, “As I first wrote on October 14, 2023, ‘a just war undertaken in self- defense must be prosecuted justly.’ There is no justice in what President Joe Biden has called ‘indiscriminate bombing.’
“I am calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to quickly deliver to the world a complete analysis of why this happened, who is responsible and what precautions are being installed to guarantee it will never happen again. Millions of people, including a lot of Members of Congress, await Netanyahu’s report.”
“The continuing intolerable loss of thousands of innocent civilian lives in Gaza, especially among children and women, and among aid workers, means that Netanyahu government is forfeiting and squandering every day its moral standing and the support of the world which existed after the October 7 atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.
“I stand with Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen. I stand with millions of innocent civilians searching for safety and food in the wreckage of this war.
“I stand with the tens of thousands of Israelis who are supporters or family members of the more than 100 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas.
“Huge crowds of Israelis are marching this week demanding immediate release of the hostages as part of comprehensive ceasefire that will stop the killing. We need a political process to end axis of terror, fanaticism, extremism and war that is strangling the hopes for peace and democratic security for all”, the Congressman said.
Meanwhile, some reported that the bombing of World Food Kitchen volunteers was not an accident, while added that the Israeli military intentionally deployed a drone to attack this well-marked, deconflicted convoy.
They reported that the drone operator stared at the World Central Kitchen logo on the roof before firing a missile through it. Deliberate, targeted attacks on humanitarian aid have become a hallmark of Israeli military operations in Gaza.