Workers for celebrity chef José Andrés die in Gaza after unintentional Israeli strike

José Andrés, the acclaimed Spanish chef and humanitarian who is bringing a restaurant to West Palm Beach, suffered the loss of seven workers killed Monday, April 1, in Gaza by an accidental Israeli airstrike.

Andrés' World Central Kitchen is among the largest providers of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The organization said Tuesday it is pausing its operations following the deaths.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an investigation into "a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people" was underway.

Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli military, the convoy was hit Monday as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, WCK said. The team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.

The workers killed include a Palestinian and citizens from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom and a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. Andrés, in a social media post, said he had served alongside the victims in Gaza, Ukraine and other countries.

"They are not faceless. They are not nameless. The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing," Andrés said. "It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers and stop using food as a weapon."

Chef José Andrés' restaurant presence bolsters West Palm Beach

The Palm Beach Post reported in February that Andrés was bringing a restaurant to the Olara condominium in downtown West Palm Beach. The Post reported that the restaurant would boost Olara's profile as a luxury residential destination amid a growing cluster of newly announced luxury high-rises on or near the waterfront along Flagler Drive.

The Post reported that, on a broader front, Andrés' presence bolsters West Palm Beach's efforts to fashion itself into a sophisticated city, a far cry from its former reputation as a sleepy county seat.

"This goes to show the area is transforming," said Alison Newton, a real estate associate with the Douglas Elliman Palm Beach brokerage and director of sales at Olara.

Added Chris Schlank, co-chairman and president of Olara developer Savanna Fund: "(The José Andrés Group) likes our demographics, they like what's going on, and they like Olara. They're going to provide amazing food services to the neighborhood and all of our residents."

Olara is expected to take three years to complete and will open in 2027.

The Olara restaurant is the first build-to-suit eatery in South Florida for Andrés, the Spanish chef renowned for his diverse restaurant concepts in several major U.S. cities. Andrés recently took over an existing restaurant space at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach in Miami-Dade County and transformed it into Zaytinya, a Mediterranean-cuisine restaurant and sister restaurant to Zaytinya locations in Washington, D.C. and New York.

Andrés also is a frequent media presence. He was the subject of a show on CNN and Discovery, José Andrés & Family in Spain.

But Andrés is perhaps best known for World Central Kitchen, a non-profit that feeds people in disaster-stricken zones. According to WCK’s website, the nonprofit has served 350 million meals over the years. Earlier this month, Andrés was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.

Reports said the tragedy to Andrés' team could worsen the food crisis in Gaza

The tragedy could worsen the already critical food crisis in the enclave. Cyprus, which helped provide the sea route bringing aid to Gaza, said ships that recently arrived were turning back with more than 200 tons of undelivered aid, the Associated Press reported.

Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to probe the deaths of the World Central Kitchen workers.

"It happens in war," he said. "We are conducting a thorough inquiry and are in contact with the governments. We will do everything to prevent a recurrence."

The Israeli military issued a statement pledging to "get to the root of the matter" and publicly release the findings of the probe.

"They were fulfilling their vital mission to bring food to those in need," military spokesman Daniel Hagari said. "As a professional army bound by international law, we are obliged to examine our actions in a thorough and transparent manner."

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Palm Beach Post reporter Alexandra Clough and USA Today reporter John Bacon contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Workers for José Andrés World Central Kitchen die in Gaza