“This wasn't just an unfortunate situation where you dropped a bomb in the wrong place. This he did over an area of 1.5 to 1.8 kilometers and was attended by a very clear humanitarian convoy and on the roof clearly a very colorful logo of which we are very proud. A sign was posted. “It is very clear who we are and what we do. They were targeting us in a deconflict zone in an area controlled by the IDF. I knew he was traveling down that road in a car.” – Jose Andres
In less than 15 years, the Israeli airstrike on Gaza that killed seven World Central Kitchen employees has grown from a celebrity chef's grassroots initiative to one of the world's most recognized food aid initiatives. It was a tragic turn of events for the American-born charity organization. organization.
The killings also cut off a vital flow of desperately needed food to the besieged coastal region, as international organizations and charities warn of impending famine. World Central Kitchen, in partnership with the United Arab Emirates, had just delivered a cargo ship carrying 400 tons of canned goods from Cyprus to Gaza.
About 100 tonnes were landed before the charity ceased operations following the attack. The rest will be taken back to Cyprus, Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gosis said.
This is an unprecedented crisis for restaurateur José Andres, who founded a charity providing immediate food aid to disaster-stricken areas and grew it into a global business operating in multiple conflict zones. It is.
The organization was founded in 2010 and gained international recognition in 2017 for its work feeding victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The group also operates in Ukraine, providing more than 100 million meals to refugees, and Andres has been awarded a medal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the group's website.
World Central Kitchen quickly became the center of American philanthropy, with contributions on par with much older organizations. Total charitable giving in 2022 was reported at $518 million, and Andres himself received $100 million from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2021.
Mr. Andres rose to fame with a string of successful restaurants in Washington, D.C., at the height of the celebrity chef phenomenon. He developed a close relationship with former President Barack Obama when current President Joe Biden served as vice president. Mr. Andres prepared meals at the White House, and Mr. Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama frequently visited his restaurant. Mr. Andres, who was born in Spain, became a naturalized citizen during a ceremony at the White House during the Obama administration.
He remains affiliated with the Biden administration, serving as co-chair of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. In February, he spoke at a conference on hunger hosted by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Andres publicly feuded with former President Donald Trump over a restaurant that was then planned for the Trump International Hotel in Washington. The chef tried to terminate his contract in protest of President Trump's inflammatory comments about Mexican and Latino immigrants crossing the U.S. border. The two filed suit against each other and later settled out of court. When the hotel was sold and reopened as the Waldorf His Astoria. Almost immediately, Andres announced new plans to open a restaurant there.
Biden said in a statement on April 2 that he spoke with Andres to express his “deepest condolences for the loss of this brave aid worker and to express our deepest condolences to him and his team on delivering food to the hungry.” “To express our continued support for this relentless and heroic effort.” globe. ”
Biden has said frankly that Israel is not doing enough to protect aid workers.
“This conflict is one of the worst in recent memory in terms of the number of deaths among aid workers,” he said. “Such incidents should never occur. The United States has repeatedly called on Israel to avoid conflict between military and humanitarian operations against Hamas to avoid civilian casualties.”
When fighters from the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, breached the border on October 7, killing about 1,200 Israelis and taking hundreds hostage, Mr. moved to organize support for Gaza civilians who were certain to be caught up in the response. With funding from the Emirati government, his group organized the first food shipments from Cyprus and set up more than 60 kitchens in Gaza, producing thousands of meals a day. The latest food shipment was intended to extend that model.
In an interview in March, just before the latest shipments from Cyprus began, Andres said his campaign had spurred action by governments, including the U.S. government's decision to build a temporary port in Gaza to receive aid supplies. He was credited with helping to inspire the plan.
“We have awakened the international community to do more for the people of Gaza,” he said. “Everyone should have food and water, it's a universal right.”
The loss of World Central Kitchen's operations would be a severe blow to the entire humanitarian effort in Gaza.
The United States and other countries were working on establishing a sea route from Cyprus to avoid difficulties. World Central Kitchen was the key to the new route. The company and the United Arab Emirates made a pilot shipment last month.
A second delivery of about 400 tons of food and supplies arrived in Gaza on three ships hours before the attack on the convoy. About 100 tonnes were unloaded and the rest brought back to Cyprus before the charity ceased operations, Cyprus Foreign Ministry spokesman Theodoros Gosis said.
A statement from the United Nations World Food Program said: “WCK is a key player in efforts to address food insecurity in the Gaza Strip, providing vital food aid to thousands of families and contributing to the fight against devastating hunger in the Strip. He has made a huge contribution.”
The killing could also mark a turning point in Mr. Andres' public perception of the Israeli government. Shehu was a vocal critic of Hamas in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack. On the social media site X, he said Israel has the right to protect its own people and called for the expulsion of Spanish government ministers who accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza.
But on April 2, Andres harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's policies and the Israeli military.
“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he told X. “No more innocent lives will be lost,” he wrote.
His organization placed the blame squarely on the IDF, saying it had coordinated the movement of vehicles carrying workers leaving northern Gaza late on April 1.
The attack on the charity convoy highlighted what critics call Israel's indiscriminate bombing and lack of consideration for civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
Israel's top commander, Lieutenant General Helj Halevi, said on April 2 that the attack was “a night of war, under very complex circumstances, and a mistake followed by a misperception.” That shouldn't have happened. ”
Footage of the aftermath showed the vehicle with the charity's logo printed across its roof, making it visible from the air. The projectile created a large hole in the roof. Two other vehicles in the convoy were also incinerated and destroyed, indicating multiple collisions.
Other footage shows several bodies wearing protective suits emblazoned with the charity's logo at a hospital in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah. Those who died included three British nationals, an Australian, a Pole, a dual American and Canadian citizen, and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.
Israel is already facing a growing sense of isolation amid mounting international criticism of the Gaza attack. On the same day as the deadly airstrike, Israel apparently attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing two Iranian generals and stirring up further fear. The government also moved to shut down a foreign media outlet, Qatari-owned Al Jazeera Television.
