Written by Sebastian Ramirez
The killing of seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza on April 1 sparked an international uproar against Israel, which claimed the bombing was a “grave error” by the country's defense forces.
World Central Kitchen (WCK), an internationally recognized humanitarian organization, employed the victims, nationals of Australia, Canada/USA (dual citizenship), Palestine, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
They also called for an independent investigation into the airstrike. On April 2, Israeli army commander Helj Halevi said that preliminary investigations had shown that the airstrike was not aimed at killing aid workers, and that the airstrike was not intended to kill aid workers, and that aid convoys were attacked at night under complex conditions. It was determined that the incident was caused by a “misidentification” of the vehicle.
World Central Kitchen rejected the initial findings and reiterated the human right to access to food.
“The root cause of the unwarranted rocket fire on our convoy is the severe food shortage in the Gaza Strip. needs to increase dramatically,” World Central Kitchen said. statement.
“Food is a universal human right. WCK is proud to have fed families across Israel since October 7th, and we continue to demand the release of all hostages. At the same time , we believe that Palestinian families have the same universal right to food and water.''We know that deep down Israelis share the same values. ”
millions of meals served
World Food Kitchen has played a vital aid role in the region, accomplishing logistical feats such as building a pier to provide emergency food and water to Gaza. Following the deadly attack, the organization has currently suspended its operations in each region.
Since October, the organization has assembled teams operating in the Middle East, including Gaza, Lebanon and Israel. “Despite restrictions on humanitarian aid entering the territory, our team has established a field kitchen in Rafah and is building a network of community kitchens across Gaza to respond to urgent needs,” WCK said on its webpage. We were able to send hundreds of aid trucks to communities in need.” of food. “
On March 30, WCK announced a second maritime aid shipment destined for Gaza.
“Our teams have provided more than 43 million meals by land, air and sea to Palestinians facing hunger,” the group said.
This latest shipment carried enough food to prepare meals for more than 1 million people.
Achieve logistics victories around the world
The organization's work in Gaza is just one of many efforts to connect food supplies to people in some of the world's most vulnerable and often hard-to-reach places. This task requires complex logistics and safety planning in a high-risk environment.
One of WCK's blog posts described its efforts to feed those affected early in the COVID-19 crisis.
“Whether it's during a hurricane in the Bahamas, a cholera outbreak in Mozambique, an earthquake in Puerto Rico, or even this one, we can quickly set up kitchens and get food where it's needed. We are experts in establishing safe logistics processes during a virus outbreak.”
World Central Kitchen was founded in 2010 by chef José Andrés, who traveled to Haiti to feed people in need after a devastating earthquake.
Since then, the organization has provided food relief on the front lines of conflicts and natural disasters around the world. When Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in 2017, Andres gathered a group of chefs to help.
That same year, the group delivered 4 million fresh meals to victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
mourn the victims
The organization now has teams around the world helping people in need, including a team of seven workers who were killed feeding victims of the Gaza war.
The family of Zomi Francom, an Australian aid worker killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear that our brave and beloved Zomi passed away doing the job she loved. I am here,” he said.
Damian Sabol, 35, from Poland, was another victim. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski confirmed this information, saying: “Our brave compatriot Damian Sobol from Przemyśl helped people in need in Gaza during a humanitarian crisis. He was killed during the attack. The Israeli military has admitted responsibility.”
WCK CEO Erin Gore paid tribute to the victims of the attack, saying, “These are the heroes of the World Central Kitchen. , lost their lives in Israeli Defense Force attacks. Their smiles, laughs, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we remember the countless others who gave their best selves to the world. We have so many memories. We are shaken by the sense of loss. It's a loss for the world.”
