World Central Kitchen to resume operations in Gaza after Israel strike killed workers

Kelly Garrity
·2 min read
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Almost a month after an Israeli strike killed seven people who were part of a World Central Kitchen convoy, the aid organization is planning to resume its operation in Gaza.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire,” WCK CEO Erin Gore said in a statement Sunday “We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible.”

“We have been forced to make a decision: Stop feeding altogether during one of the worst hunger crises ever, ending our operation that accounted for 62% of all International NGO aid. Or keep feeding knowing that aid, aid workers and civilians are being intimidated and killed,” Gore added later.

The aid organization founded by Chef José Andrés has provided tens of millions of meals to Gaza since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began last fall. But the convoy attack left the group's leaders, including Andrés, devastated — and forced them to pause their aid out of concern for worker safety.

“It is unforgivable. I will have to live with this the rest of my life. We all will have to live with this the rest of our lives,” Andrés said in the days following the strike. “I’ve seen firsthand what has been happening in Ukraine. Entire towns and cities being wiped out by Russia and by Putin. But Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing this exactly the same.”

WCK will begin disturbing aid to the besieged region Monday with “a Palestinian team delivering food to address wide-spread hunger, including in the north,” according to a press release from the organization. The organization is also opening a new facility named “Damian’s Kitchen” after Damian Soból, one of the workers killed in the April 1 strike.

According to the organization, WCK has 276 trucks holding roughly 8 million meals worth of food ready to enter Gaza through Jordan and Rafah Crossing, and it’s looking to add new sea routes to shuttle aid to the region, where starvation and the threat of famine loom.

The World Central Kitchen is also continuing its calls for "an impartial and international investigation into the IDF attack,” according to the press release.