World Central Kitchen resumes operations in Gaza amid Israeli-Hamas war, nearly a month after an Israeli airstrike killed seven people while delivering food to desperate Palestinian civilians Then the charity's chief executive made the announcement on Sunday. within the besieged territory.
Recognizing the dire humanitarian situation that remains in the Gaza Strip, Erin Gore said the organization is “focused on feeding as many people as possible with the same energy and dignity.” '' He said he was resuming local activities.
“To date, we have distributed more than 43 million meals and are eager to distribute millions more,” Gore wrote. “Food is a universal right, and our work in Gaza has been the most lifesaving mission in our organization's 14-year history.”
Gore reiterated WCK's call for an independent investigation into the aid worker's killing, adding that WCK had assembled a team of local residents “to carry the torch forward.”
“The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) apologized for the attack, calling it a “serious mistake,'' and said it had changed its operating rules,” Gore said. “While there are no concrete guarantees, we continue to seek answers and advocate for change with the goal of better protecting WCK and all NGO workers who selflessly serve in the worst humanitarian conditions.” Our calls for a fair and international investigation remain unchanged.”
In a statement announcing the killing of the employee, WCK said the attack occurred while the convoy was moving through a non-conflict zone after the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of food aid at a warehouse in Deir al-Balah on April 1. said that it was done. This news caused internal outrage. In the United States, President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken.”
After an internal investigation, the Israeli military announced four days after the incident that the attack was due to “serious failures resulting from mistaken identification, poor decision-making, and an attack contrary to standard operating procedures.”
In Sunday's announcement, Gore said the charity would either suspend operations in Gaza indefinitely, despite potentially saving the lives of starving Palestinians, or posing serious risks to workers and civilians. He said he was faced with the difficult decision of whether to continue his activities despite the restrictions.
“These are the most difficult conversations to have, and we considered all viewpoints in our deliberations,” Gore wrote. “Ultimately, we decided that we must continue to feed and continue our mission of feeding people during the most difficult of times.”
The charity says 276 trucks are ready to enter the territory through the Rafah border, ready to provide up to 8 million meals, and is also considering more food deliveries through the port of Ashdod. said. WCK is also building a third high-production kitchen in southern Gaza, in addition to the 68 community kitchens it operates in the region. The kitchen will be named after one of the workers killed in the Israeli attack.
More than 34,488 Palestinians have been killed in the war, which is now in its seventh month, local officials said.
An internal State Department memo seen by Reuters says Israeli officials are concerned that the International Criminal Court could issue arrest warrants for some leaders, and that Israel is reportedly concerned about the possibility of the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for some leaders. was found to be in violation of U.S. directives by preventing people from entering the country.
Meanwhile, a temporary ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas remains a long way off. Hamas will return hostages still in its custody after the October 7 attack in which the militant group killed 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 hostages unless Israel agrees to end it, according to the Associated Press. It is said that they are refusing to conclude an agreement to do so. to the ongoing conflict.
