Many charities have halted delivering food to the Palestinians trapped inside Gaza, as the Strip faces the threat of starvation, following the killing of aid workers.
An Israeli airstrike killed 7 aid workers, including foreigners, in central Gaza on Monday. This incident has threatened to roll back global humanitarian efforts to establish a maritime corridor from Cyprus.
The lack of safety for aid workers in Gaza scared away other humanitarian organizations who decided to halt their operations in Gaza, saying that it was too dangerous to help the Gazans.
Moreover, ships packed with 240 tons of sid turned back from Gaza only one day after arriving, without delivering the aid to Gazans according to Cyprus.
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.
The incident provoked US president Joe Bidden, Israel’s biggest ally, to suggest that Israel is not exerting enough efforts to ensure civilians’ protection and safety.
“Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,” said Biden.
Related Topics
Pope Francis Calls for Gaza Ceasefire during Easter Mass
Updated: Foreign Aid Workers Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Gaza- WCK
Saudi Foreign Minister, Palestinian PM Discuss Gaza Developments
