“Wherever there is a fight to feed hungry people, we go there,” said Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen.
WASHINGTON — World Central Kitchen is resuming operations in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli attack killed seven humanitarian workers earlier this month.
Seven people were killed in the April 1 airstrike. Mr. Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha of Palestine. John Chapman from England. Jacob Flickinger in the United States and Canada; Australia's Lalzaumi “Zomi” Francome. James Henderson from England. James Kirby of England. and Damian Sobol from Poland.
“We continue to mourn the loss of seven friends and colleagues who died in the IDF attack in Gaza on April 1,” said Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen. “I will.” “We have spent the last few weeks celebrating the lives of Saif, Zomi, Damien, Jacob, James, John and Jim.”
A celebration of life was held Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
“The seven souls we honor today were there to feed the hungry,” Chef José Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen, said Thursday before reading out the names of the victims. ''.
The service included remarks from the Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of the Washington National Cathedral. and other religious leaders. Additionally, a wide range of U.S. dignitaries and officials from each victim's home country were invited to attend.
Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called the attack an “unintentional attack.”
Andres countered by claiming his team members were intentionally targeted.
World Central Kitchen had temporarily suspended operations since the deadly attack.
“A plate of food is a plate of hope. It's a message that someone, somewhere cares about you,” Andres said at the ceremony. He vowed to the families of the victims to respect the legacy of their loved ones, saying: “Food can never be a weapon of war. Humanitarian workers can never be targeted.” No,” he added.
On Sunday, nearly a month after the strike, World Central Kitchen CEO Erin Gore announced the organization would reopen.
>Read CEO Erin Gore's full statement below:
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We are back in business with the same energy and dignity, focused on feeding as many people as possible. To date, the company has distributed more than 43 million meals and hopes to distribute millions more. Food is a universal right, and our work in Gaza was the most lifesaving mission in our organization's 14-year history.
We will continue to move as much food as possible into Gaza, including northern Gaza, by land, air and sea. We have 276 trucks, equivalent to almost 8 million meals, ready to enter from the Rafah intersection. We will also send a truck from Jordan. We explore maritime corridors and utilize the port of Ashdod. In addition to 68 community kitchens, we are building his third high-production kitchen in Mawasi (his other two are in Rafah and Deri Albara). Mawasi's kitchen, affectionately known as Damian's Kitchen, is built around his favorite quote: “There are no problems, only solutions.”
WCK has built a strong team of Palestinians to advance the torch. Our model has always been to work collaboratively with the community. Puerto Ricans feed Puerto Ricans. Moroccans feed Moroccans. Ukrainians feed Ukrainians. And now Palestinians are feeding Palestinians. WCK is an organization of people feeding people everywhere. Local teams have been consulted and are ready to feed millions more in a way that honors the spirits and lives of the seven angels.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) apologized for the attack, calling it a “grave mistake” and said it had changed its operational rules. Although we have 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 demand for an impartial and international investigation remains unchanged.
We are faced with a decision. In the midst of one of the worst hunger crises in history, donors, aid workers and civilians are threatened with threats to either completely halt food supplies and end our operations, which accounted for 62% of all international NGO aid. Do we continue to provide food even though we are aware of the situation? and was killed. These are the most difficult conversations to have, and we considered all points of view in our deliberations. Ultimately, we decided that we must continue to provide food and continue our mission of feeding people during the most difficult of times.
On behalf of WCK, we would like to thank you for the outpouring of support and messages during this unimaginable time. We will be back soon with #ChefsforGaza to continue our mission to save lives.
“Wherever there is a fight to feed hungry people, we will go there,” Gore said.
Watch next: World Central Kitchen Celebration of Life Service at Washington National Cathedral
