World Central Kitchen to resume aid in Gaza following fatal airstrike
World Central Kitchen will resume food distribution in Gaza, almost a month following the tragic loss of seven of its aid workers in an Israeli air strike.
The organization announced it is equipped with 276 trucks containing eight million meals, poised to enter via the Rafah crossing.
“The decision to persist in providing aid was made with the understanding that the need for sustenance persists,” stated the charity on Sunday.
Earlier this month, the organization reported an attack on a convoy leaving its warehouse by Israel, resulting in the deaths of seven workers and prompting global outrage.
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged “serious errors” leading to the fatal strike and relieved two senior officers of their duties in connection with the incident.
CEO Erin Gore of WCK emphasized, “The humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains critical. We are resuming our operations with unwavering commitment, maintaining our focus on providing sustenance to as many people as possible.”
The charity also announced plans to dispatch trucks from Jordan, utilize the Ashdod Port – one of Israel’s principal cargo ports, and establish a third high-capacity kitchen within Gaza.
Regarding the fatal airstrike, WCK reiterated its demand for an impartial international investigation into the deaths of the aid workers, which included individuals from three countries: Britain, Palestine, Australia, Poland, and a US-Canadian dual citizen.
“While we await concrete assurances, we persist in seeking answers and advocating for systemic change to enhance the safety of WCK and all NGO personnel working selflessly in the most challenging humanitarian conditions,” Ms. Gore remarked.
WCK remains a pivotal source of vital aid to Gaza, boasting a record of supplying over 43 million meals since the conflict erupted in October.
Talking about the decision to resume operations, Ms Gore added: “We decided that we must keep feeding, continuing our mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest of times.”
In the space of four minutes on 1 April, seven aid workers were killed when three missiles destroyed their cars one by one as they engaged in humanitarian work.
The charity’s team had been authorized by the Israeli military to help transfer aid supplies from the coast to a warehouse. The IDF said a series of mistakes and miscommunications resulted in them being mistaken for Hamas operatives and targeted.
Israel’s military said a “number of armed gunmen” were in the vicinity of the convoy, but drone operators wrongly tracked cars carrying aid workers.
The army apologized after admitting its soldiers did not follow protocols and were not given crucial information about the pre-approved aid mission.
Those involved in the attack on the convoy did not know the vehicles belonged to World Central Kitchen, the Israeli military report found
The WCK announcement comes as Israeli’s military said the amount of aid going into Gaza will be ramped up in the coming days to help.
Spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari said in a statement: “Food, water, medical supplies, shelter equipment, and other aid – more of it is going into Gaza than ever before.”
Israel is also working with US Central Command to construct a “temporary maritime pier,” which will allow ship-to-shore distribution, he added.
The UN has warned that famine in the Gaza Strip is “almost inevitable” and children are starving to death.
The current war began when Hamas attacked Israeli communities near Gaza, killing about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages.
Israel’s subsequent campaign of aerial bombardment and ground operations in Gaza has killed 34,454 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.