WASHINGTON (AP) — Seven dead. World Central Kitchen employees Israel's bombing of Gaza is a tragic development for an American-born charity that has grown from a celebrity chef's grassroots initiative to become one of the world's most recognized food relief organizations in less than 15 years. Ta.
The killings also cut off the vital flow of much-needed food to the besieged coastal region, as international organizations and charities have warned. looming 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. is. Founded in 2010, the organization gained international recognition in 2017 for its work feeding Hurricane Maria victims 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.
Andres rose to prominence with a series of successful restaurants in Washington, DC. celebrity chef phenomenon It was taking off. 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, was naturalized 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 Latin American 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.
In a statement Tuesday night, Biden said he spoke with Andres to express his “deepest condolences for the loss of this brave aid worker and express our gratitude for his and his team's continued efforts to feed the hungry.” “To express our continued support for this heroic effort.” glove. “
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.
When fighters from the militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza, broke through 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 a phone interview with The Associated Press in March, just before the latest shipments from Cyprus were set to begin, Andres said his campaign was spurring governments to take action and create an extraordinary plan for Gaza to receive aid. It was credited with helping stimulate the U.S. government's plans to build a port.
“We have awakened the international community to do more for the people of Gaza,” he told The Associated Press. “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.
AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reported that the United States says it wants answers from Israel following the deadly attack on World Central Kitchen workers in the Gaza Strip.
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. He spoke on the X social media platform. Israel's right to protect its own people and demanded the expulsion of Spanish government ministers. blame Israel For committing war crimes in Gaza.
But on Tuesday, Andres harshly criticized 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 was coordinating the movement of vehicles carrying workers leaving northern Gaza late on Monday.
Israeli military commander Lieutenant General Helj Halevi said on Tuesday that the attack was “a night of war under very complex circumstances and a mistake followed by a misidentification.” 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 there were 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 national, and a Palestinian, according to hospital records.
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Associated Press writers Talia Beatty and Rhonda Schaffner in New York City, Menelaos Hadjikostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, Hanna Ahirova in Kyiv and Amel Madani in Washington contributed to this report.
