Citizens of Australia, UK It is Poland are among seven people who worked for celebrity chef José Andrés of World Central Kitchen who were killed in an Israeli aerial bombing of downtown Gaza Strip on Monday, 1, according to the NGO.
The convoy was hit as it left a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, after unloading more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea.
“This is not just an attack on WCK, it is an attack on humanitarian organizations working in the most dire places where food is used as a weapon of war,” said Erin Gore, chief executive of World Central Kitchen. “This is unforgivable.”
Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
The Israeli military said it would carry out a full review to understand the circumstances of what it called a tragic incident. According to them, an independent and professional specialized body will investigate the deaths.
“The Defense Forces go to great lengths to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and have worked closely with the WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,” the military said.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that he spoke with WCK founder, chef José Andrés, and expressed his condolences.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, highlighted in a post on the social network X that the Israeli government would investigate what happened and that Tel-Aviv does everything it can to prevent the deaths of civilians during the war.
Andrés, who started the NGO in 2010 sending cooks and food to the Haiti after an earthquake, he said he was heartbroken and mourning the families and friends of those who died.
“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing,” he said. “We must stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and humanitarian workers and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It needs to start now.”
Photograph: Efrem Lukatsky/AP
O Hamas said the attack aimed to terrorize workers at international humanitarian agencies, dissuading them from their missions.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the death of 44-year-old aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom and said his government had contacted Israel to demand that those responsible be held accountable.
Photograph: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP
“This is a human tragedy that should never have occurred, which is completely unacceptable and Australia will seek full and appropriate accountability,” he said at a press conference this Tuesday, 2.
Albanese said innocent civilians and aid workers needed to be protected and reiterated the call for a ceasefire in Gaza, along with helping those suffering from “tremendous deprivation”.
A video obtained by Reuters it showed paramedics transporting bodies to a hospital and displaying the passports of three of the dead.
“We are heartbroken and deeply concerned about the attack that killed WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza,” US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on social media. “Aid workers must be protected as they deliver desperately needed aid, and we urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened.”
WCK said it would immediately cease operations in the region and would make decisions soon about the future of work. Last month, the NGO served more than 42 million meals in Gaza over 175 days./ com AFP
Tags: Israeli airstrike Gaza kills people celebrity chefs NGO
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