Seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen died in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Monday, according to the nongovernmental organization.
The workers were leaving a warehouse in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, and driving in a “deconflicted zone” in two armored cars when the strike hit, the World Central Kitchen (WCK) said.
The NGO, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, was working in war-torn Gaza, where more than 1 million people have exhausted their food supplies and are dealing with catastrophic hunger, according to the United Nations.
The seven charity workers had delivered over 100 tons of food aid to the warehouse shortly before the incident and previously coordinated its movements with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the WCK said.
The victims of the strike were from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Palestine, and one was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada.
“Regrettably, there was a tragic incident of an unintended strike by our forces on innocent people in the Gaza Strip over the last day,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement. He added that officials are “fully investigating this” and “will take all necessary actions to prevent a recurrence.”
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the IDF, said the military is launching an inquiry to look into the incident.
“We have been examining the incident at the highest levels to understand the circumstances and how it took place,” Hagari said in a video message on Tuesday.
“The work of WCK is crucial. They are at the forefront of humanity. We will thoroughly investigate this and share our findings transparently,” he added.
Andrés expressed being “devastated” after the strike and urged the Israeli government to halt what he described as “unselective killing.”
“I am devastated and mourning for their families and friends and our entire WCK family,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“They are not anonymous…they are not nameless. The Israeli government must stop this unselective killing. It must stop limiting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” he later added. No more innocent lives lost. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It needs to begin now.”
World Central Kitchen, which operates in countries affected by wars or natural disasters, stated that it will immediately halt operations in the region and will “be making decisions about the future of our work shortly.”
“This is not just an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations providing assistance in the most desperate situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” CEO Erin Gore stated.
The conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has continued for nearly six months after the group unexpectedly entered southern Israel on October 7. Hamas’s attacks resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people in Israel, while around 250 others were taken as hostages.
About 100 of these hostages were released in a weeklong cease-fire late last year, and an estimated 100 others are thought to still be in Gaza.
Israel quickly started a military operation in October to eliminate Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. The Israeli attacks on Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 32,700 people since early October. the AP noted.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said they are “deeply troubled,” by Monday’s strike.
“Humanitarian aid workers must be protected as they deliver aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened,” she wrote on X.
–Updated at 8:11 a.m.
