The charity World Food Kitchen, which is at the forefront of addressing the imminent famine crisis in Gaza, confirmed that an Israeli air raid resulted in the death of seven of their workers, causing turmoil in the humanitarian relief activities in the Palestinian region. The charity had to halt operations following this incident. The volunteers who lost their lives in the air strike were travelling in two vehicles marked clearly with the charity’s logo, as per an announcement made early Tuesday. The charity, World Central Kitchen (WCK), revealed that the deceased hailed from the UK, Australia, Palestine, Poland, and a citizen with dual nationality of US-Canada.
Although the group had communicated their movements with the Israeli army, their convoy was attacked as they were leaving Deir al-Balah warehouse. They had just unloaded over 100 tons of edible humanitarian aid brought by sea route to Gaza, as per the charity’s report.
The CEO of WCK, Erin Gore, labelled the incident as a direct attack on their organisation and other humanitarian bodies working under the most critical conditions, where sustenance is utilised as a war weapon. She accentuated the unforgivable nature of the act.
With its operations now on hold in the area, WCK has triggered concerns about the potential collapse of a budding marine corridor from Cyprus. This pass was significant for delivering crucial aid to Gaza despite continuous Israeli hindrances. The charity stated it would soon decide on the future trajectory of its work in the region.
Regarding the assault on the WCK convoy, it remains uncertain who initiated the attack. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), while acknowledging the tragic predicament, stated they were conducting a high-level investigation to comprehend the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a statement, the IDF acknowledged the charity’s essential efforts for providing food and humanitarian aid to the residents of Gaza. They also clarified their commitment to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid.
The endeavours by aid organisations for delivering vital assistance have been substantially impeded due to logistical hurdles, public order disruption, and Israel’s onerous red tape system. In comparison to the 500 aid trucks that could enter the territory daily before the war commenced, the number has drastically reduced over the last five months.
The previous month saw the demise of over a hundred people when Israeli forces initiated fire at an aid distribution location in Gaza City. While Israeli military reported most people died due to a stampede, this was refuted by Palestinian officials and witnesses, alleging that most hospitalised victims showed bullet injuries.
According to the United Nations, at least 576,000 individuals, comprising a quarter of the population, find themselves on the edge of starvation in the coastal territory. Increasing pressure has been put on Israel to ramp up aid efforts.
On Monday, humanitarian ships brought in 400 tonnes of food and supplies, providing an estimated one million meals. This delivery was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of the United Arab Emirates, WCK and others, who previously managed to construct a jetty from the debris of buildings decimated by Israeli bombings over the past five months. This operation succeeded a WCK vessel’s pilot run last month, when 200 tonnes of aid were delivered. Both deliveries were coordinated in conjunction with the Israeli military.
Israel’s key ally, Washington, has expressed support for a new maritime route to send critical aid to the northern parts of Gaza, currently isolated by Israeli forces. Restrictions placed by Israel on Unrwa, the primary UN agency operating in Gaza, have halted deliveries to the north. This move followed allegations of the agency’s employees participating in a Hamas assault that sparked the war. Other humanitarian organisations have reported the risk of dispatching truck convoys to the north due to the military’s inability to secure safe passages.
Israeli data reveals that the clash on the 7th of October led to the death of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the capturing of a further 250. In contrast, the subsequent Israeli offensive claimed the lives of more than 32,000 Palestinians, as stated by the local health ministry in the Hamas-controlled region.
WCK’s founder, José Andrés, confirmed on X the deaths of his charity members, caused by an Israeli Defence Force airstrike in Gaza. Andrés, expressing his heartbreak, emphasised the identities of these individuals – people with whom he had worked in other regions like Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas and Indonesia.
Andrés also requested the Israeli government stop the indiscriminate killing. Meanwhile, Anthony Albanese, the Australian prime minister, identified an Australian citizen named Zomi Frankcom among the casualties, praising her work as significant. Albanese declared his intentions to summon the Israeli ambassador over an incident he termed as “beyond any reasonable circumstances,” demanding full accountability for the aid workers’ deaths, which he considered utterly unacceptable.