Humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen, which tragically lost seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike a month ago, has declared its intention to resume activities in Gaza starting Monday (April 29). The pause in operations was initiated by the organization’s celebrity chef, Jose Andres, following the attack on its convoy by the Israel Defense Forces on April 1.
In a statement, World Central Kitchen (WCK) CEO Erin Gore affirmed the organization’s commitment to “continue to get as much food into Gaza, including northern Gaza, as possible.” She emphasized, “The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible. To date, we have distributed more than 43 million meals and we are eager to deliver millions more. Food is a universal right and our work in Gaza has been the most life-saving mission in our 14-year organizational history.”
Regarding the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the group announced its decision to resume operations with the same energy
Regarding the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the group announced its decision to resume operations “with the same energy, dignity, and focus” to provide food to as many people as possible while mourning the loss of their seven colleagues and friends. CEO Erin Gore wrote, “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.”
“These are the hardest conversations and we have to consider all perspectives when deliberating. Ultimately, we decided that we must keep feeding, continuing our mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest of times,” she said.
Less than a month after a three-car convoy carrying seven international aid workers was struck by an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) missile in central Gaza, the announcement was made.
The aid workers were identified by the organization as Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, a 25-year-old Palestinian; Lalzawmi (Zomi) Frankcom, a 43-year-old Australian; Damian Soból, a 35-year-old from Poland; Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada; and security team members John Chapman, 57, James (Jim) Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, all from the United Kingdom. World Central Kitchen has 276 trucks capable of transferring almost 8 million meals into Gaza via Rafah. These trucks will also be sent to the enclave via Jordan, according to a statement by WCK.