“A big part of our Gaza operation has always been Palestinians feeding Palestinians,” WCK chief communications officer Linda Ross said in response to questions from The Washington Post. “As you know, our model is one of community engagement. We employ hundreds of Palestinians as contractors and hundreds more as volunteers. I want to go back.”
Late on April 1, an Israeli airstrike hit a WCK convoy, killing all seven people in three vehicles, two of which were armored. Among the dead were four members of the WCK rescue team. Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25-year-old Palestinian. Damian Sobol, 35 years old from Poland. Jacob Flickinger is a 33-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Canada. The other three victims were John Chapman, 57; James Henderson, 33 years old. James Kirby, 47, was a British national contracted to WCK's security team.
The killing was condemned around the world, including by President Biden. “I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers at World Central Kitchen,” Biden said in a statement at the time. “They were feeding starving civilians during the war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.”
In an April 6 interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC's “This Week,” Andres said: We all have to live with this situation for the rest of our lives. ”
The organization announced that by April 1, it had distributed more than 43 million meals in the Gaza Strip, accounting for 62 percent of its total aid to international non-governmental organizations.
Before suspending operations for four weeks following the deaths, WCK had set up 68 community kitchens in the Gaza Strip, including two high-production facilities in Rafah in the south and Deir al-Balah in the center. was also included. Once operations resume, WCK will open his third high-production kitchen in Sobol's honor. WCK said in a statement that the facility, located in Al Mawashi on Gaza's south coast, will be called “Damien's Kitchen.”
Sobol “was a pure joy to everyone who knew him,” an emotional celebrity chef and WCK founder Jose Andres said at Thursday's memorial service.
In prepared remarks, Andres also hinted at the possibility of WCK returning to Gaza at the ceremony. “That’s what we do at World Central Kitchen. We stand alongside communities as they feed themselves, nourish themselves and heal themselves.” ,” prepared remarks said. “People don't want our pity, they want our respect. … The only way to show respect is to face the mayhem with them.”
“We remind them that they are not alone in the dark,” Andres added.
Another aid organization, Anera, which had suspended its operations in Gaza following the killing of the WCK worker, resumed aid operations in Gaza on April 11.
According to a statement on Sunday, WCK has 276 trucks ready to enter Gaza. The organization announced it was delivering the equivalent of 8 million meals. The group said it would continue to explore the use of the maritime corridor established by WCK this year and install improvised piers made from wartime rubble. The organization is considering sending more food and supplies by boat with the help of Spanish humanitarian organization Open Arms and the United Arab Emirates.
Now that it has resumed operations, WCK continues to call for an independent, third-party investigation into the IDF attack on a humanitarian convoy.
Four days after the attack, the Israeli military announced the results of an internal investigation. The government said the attack was a “serious breach” of policy as a result of a “mistake” and “contrary to” military procedures. It was announced that two officers would be dismissed and the commander would be reprimanded. There was no mention of legal action such as prosecution. In response, World Central Kitchen said the IDF is “unable to credibly investigate its own failures in Gaza.”
WCK CEO Erin Gore said in a statement on Sunday: “We had to make a decision: In the midst of one of the worst hunger crises in history, we would completely cut off food supplies and end our operations, which accounted for 62 percent of all international NGO aid. ” Otherwise, we must continue to feed them, knowing that aid workers, aid workers, and civilians are being threatened and killed. ”
“These are the most difficult conversations to have, and we considered all viewpoints in our deliberations,” Gore added. “Ultimately, we decided we had to keep the food flowing and continued our mission to feed people during the most difficult of times.”
