People stand next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 2, where World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to the NGO.
Yasser Qudihe/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
hide caption
toggle caption
Yasser Qudihe/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
People stand next to a vehicle in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 2, where World Central Kitchen (WCK) workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to the NGO.
Yasser Qudihe/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
Humanitarian group World Central Kitchen announced it was resuming operations in Gaza, less than a month after seven of its employees were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We are resuming our operations with the same energy, the same dignity and a focus on feeding as many people as possible,” CEO Erin Gore said on Sunday.
Gaza residents are experiencing catastrophic levels of hunger and a US official said earlier this month that parts of Gaza were already experiencing famine.
The April 1 strikes in Gaza sparked international criticism of the Israeli military, which later admitted committing a “serious violation” of military operational procedures. As a result, World Central Kitchen, which distributes meals in disaster areas, suspended operations there.
“To date, we have distributed more than 43 million meals and we look forward to delivering millions more. Food is a universal right and our work in Gaza has been the most life-saving mission in our 14 years of organizational history,” Gore said in a statement.
Israel cut off food, fuel and medicine to Gaza at the start of the war. Under international pressure, the country has since allowed some aid to arrive, but humanitarian groups say the aid is far from enough. Israel says it is not limiting its aid.
Gore said World Central Kitchen has 276 trucks carrying the equivalent of 8 million meals ready to enter through the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The group also plans for trucks to come from Jordan and plans to transport food by sea via the Israeli port of Ashdod.
Gore said the group was finalizing the construction of a third large kitchen in the southern Gaza neighborhood of Mawasi – a facility they will call Damian’s Kitchen in honor of one of the staff members killed in the strikes .
Those killed in the strikes were Palestinian Saifeddin “Safi” Issam Ayad Abutaha; John Chapman of Great Britain; Jacob Flickinger from the United States and Canada; Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom from Australia; the British James Henderson and James Kirby; and Damian Sobol from Poland.
The group was founded in 2010 by leader José Andrés, who spoke Thursday at a memorial for the seven workers at the Washington National Cathedral. “They risked everything to feed people they didn’t know and would never meet,” he said.
At least 224 aid workers have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas since it began in October, according to the United Nations Security Council, which says the number is more than three times higher than ever recorded in a single conflict in a single year.
Israel apologized for the airstrikes and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “deeply regrets this tragic incident.” The Israeli military said the strikes violated military operational procedures and that senior army officers would be fired and reprimanded.
Gore said of the Israeli military: “While we have no concrete assurances, we continue to seek answers and advocate for change with the goal of better protecting WCK and all NGO workers serving as selflessly in the worst humanitarian conditions. the investigation remains ongoing.”
President Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Sunday. The White House said it discussed “increasing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including through preparations for the opening of new crossing points to the north from this week the president stressed the need to maintain and improve this progress in full coordination with humanitarian organizations.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Some 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 and 133 hostages remain in Gaza, some of whom are believed to have died, according to Israeli officials.
Becky Sullivan contributed reporting.
NPR News
