Updated: Foreign Aid Workers Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza- WCK
An Israeli airstrike killed 7 aid workers, including foreigners, in central Gaza on Monday.
Jose Andres, the founder of World Central Kitchen confirmed the death of several volunteers in his organization. He wrote on X: “Today, WCK lost several of our brothers and sisters in an Israeli airstrike.”
He added, “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.”
World Central Kitchen said in a statement that the workers were travelling in two armored cars displaying WCK logo and another car. They included citizens from Australia, Britain, Poland, alongside Palestinians and a dual citizen from the US and Canada, reported Reuters.
The NGO’s convoy was targeted while it was leaving its warehouse in Deir al-Balah, after unpacking more than 100 million tons of food aid delivered to Gaza by sea, despite coordinating movements with the Israeli military.
Erin Gore, chief executive of the organization said, “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.”
Australian Prime Miniter, Anthony Albanese, confirmed the death of an Australian national, describing what happened as a “human tragedy”. He said in a press conference on Tuesday that this is “completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and proper accountability”.
The Israeli military said it is “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.”
WCK delivers food for people in need. Last month, it said it had delivered more than 42 million meals to Gaza over 175 days. It was involved in the first shipment of aid to Gaza via the marine corridor from Cyprus in March, and the second aid shipment arrived early this week.
After the Israeli strike, the organization said it would pause its operations in the region, and assess the future of its operations in Gaza.
It is worthy to note that after the incident, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that his forces had carried out an unintended attack on innocent people in Gaza.
The PM added that the authorities are reviewing the strike and will take necessary measures to avoid such kind of strikes.
