The World Central Kitchen, the international food charity founded by chef José Andrés, announced early on Tuesday that it was pausing aid operations after it said an Israeli airstrike killed seven of the organization's workers in Gaza.
The organization said its workers had been traveling in a “deconflicted zone” in two armored cars carrying the World Central Kitchen logo and a soft skin vehicle. It said that despite organizing travel with the Israeli military, the convoy was hit as it was leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the strike in a video statement Tuesday. “Unfortunately, during the last day there was a tragic case of an unintentional hit by our forces of innocent people in the Gaza Strip. This happens in war,” Netanyahu said in Hebrew. He added that Israel is investigating the incident, is in touch with other governments and “will do everything so that thing does not happen again.”
Earlier, the Israeli military said in a statement it was investigating the report “at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.” Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video statement, “We will share our findings transparently.”
In the World Central Kitchen's statement, it said the seven killed are from Australia, Poland, United Kingdom, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, and a Palestinian.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” the organization's CEO, Erin Gore, said. “This is unforgivable.”
Source: Food charity suspends Gaza operations after Israeli airstrike killed its workers : NPR
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