Chef José Andrés admitted that even though his organization is working hard to provide food to the troubled area of Gaza while there is a war going on between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, it is still possible that their efforts could be unsuccessful.
“There is a chance that we might not succeed. But we must not fail the people of Gaza,” Andrés told NBC’s Kristen Welker in a “Meet the Press” interview that will air Sunday. “Not trying would be the real failure.”
“So we are attempting, and I hope that in a few days we can say we achieved a small victory. From this success, everyone can be assured that this is achievable, and we can establish a larger system to bring large quantities of food to the shores of Gaza on a daily basis,” the renowned chef from Spain added.
Andrés and his organization, World Central Kitchen, have been advocating for more access points to distribute food and humanitarian aid to Gaza. On Tuesday, an aid ship loaded with about 200 tons of food collected by the organization set sail from Cyprus to Gaza.
He updated Welker on the ship in a section of the interview released Tuesday.
“But right now, yes, we have a boat with a barge carrying almost 200 tons of food, and we are conducting this trial because this is the first attempt to reach the shores of Gaza in years due to the naval blockade of Gaza,” he said.
“So just that is an incredible accomplishment — that we are already sailing towards Gaza with the permission of all parties involved,” the chef added.
The food shipment by sea comes days after President Biden announced the U.S. would construct a temporary port on Gaza’s coast to increase aid deliveries. However, it is anticipated that the temporary pier will take two months to build and could require the help of up to 1,000 troops.
Democrats nominated Andrés and his organization for a Nobel Peace Prize
