What you need to know about the World Central Kitchen attack in Gaza

International outrage soared on Monday after an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip killed six foreign aid workers and a Palestinian driver from the US-based aid organization World Central Kitchen. Ta.

The group said Australian, British and Polish personnel, as well as one American and Canadian citizen, were killed in the airstrike, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later acknowledged was the handiwork of Israeli forces. “It was not intentional,” he said.

Founded in 2010 by Spanish-American Michelin-starred chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen (WCK) brings food to Gaza, where a humanitarian crisis is mounting due to brutal Israeli military operations. We are one of the few aid organizations that can. against the enclave Hamas.

Here’s what we know so far about the attack and the Western response.

basic facts

The non-profit organization said that as the team left the warehouse and drove through the “deconflict” area of ​​Deir El Bala, a convoy of “two armored vehicles and one soft-skinned vehicle with the WCK logo” appeared. It was announced that there had been a collision.

Aerial photos of the damage posted on social media showed the three vehicles were hit in three separate attacks, with the first and last attacks occurring about 1.5 miles apart.

The attack also came after the organization announced it had coordinated actions with the Israeli military, according to a WCK press release.

WCK, which focuses on feeding people during major conflicts and disasters around the world, suspended its operations in Gaza following the tragedy.

“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon,” Shehu said. . I wrote to X After the attack. “No more innocent lives can be lost. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It must start now.”

WCK CEO Erin Gore said the strike was “not only an attack on WCK, but an attack on humanitarian organizations in the most dire situations where food is being used as a weapon of war.” said. This is unacceptable. ”

Israel’s reaction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was recently discharged from the hospital after undergoing hernia surgery, acknowledged the “tragic events in the Gaza Strip in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants.”

“This is what happens in war,” he said in a statement. “We are conducting a thorough investigation and are in contact with the government. We will do everything we can to prevent it from happening again.”

Israeli military spokesman Maj. Gen. Daniel Hagari later said authorities were opening an investigation to investigate the incident.

“We are reviewing the incident at the highest level to understand what happened and how it happened,” Hagari said in a video message Tuesday.

World Central Kitchen details

WCK works to provide hot meals to people in the midst of crises such as conflicts, natural disasters, wars, civil unrest, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and other climate change-related events. The group works with local chefs to train cooks and help farmers deliver food.

WCK has been in Gaza since shortly after the war began in October, using a variety of methods, including ground convoys and airdrops from Jordan, and a team from Cairo, Egypt, which sent more than 1,700 trucks via Rafah. brought food into the territory. intersection.

WCK has been leading efforts to bring food to the Gaza Strip as Palestinians face starvation due to Israel’s excruciating slowness in allowing aid trucks to enter the Strip.

The charity says it has delivered 42 million meals to the Gaza Strip as of March, but aid agencies warn that half of Gaza’s population remains at risk of starvation.

As a workaround to the attack checkpoints in the Gaza Strip, WCK collaborated with the United Arab Emirates to deliver food to Gaza by sea using ships departing from Cyprus. The first such maritime food shipment arrived in Gaza on March 20.

NBC News reported that a second shipment arrived in Gaza on three ships on Monday, but most of the food was returned as WCK ceased operations.

The group also provides assistance on the Israel-Lebanon border and inside Israel.

context

The foreign aid worker’s death has heightened international frustration and anger over Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of thousands face starvation. ing.

Israel’s military operations have already drawn widespread condemnation and calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but the aid worker’s death further tarnishes Israel’s global image.

The attack could further hamper aid to the enclave, as humanitarian groups have little protection from Israel in the ongoing conflict.

Israeli forces already routinely restrict the flow of aid into the Gaza Strip, even firing on Palestinians waiting in line for food and other necessities.

Gaza has become “one of the most dangerous and difficult places to work in the world” since the start of the war, with at least 196 aid workers killed in Gaza between October and March 20, the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territory said. Interim Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said. he said in a statement Tuesday.

“There are no safe places left in Gaza,” he added.

Western reaction

World leaders quickly condemned Israel’s attack, echoed WCK’s outrage, called for an investigation, and held Israel to account.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also rebuked Israel Commenting on the airstrike that killed the WCK staff, he said that the number of aid workers killed in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 196, including more than 175 United Nations staff. “It’s unconscionable,” he said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak I tweeted Israel “must take immediate steps to explain how this tragic incident occurred, protect aid workers, and facilitate vital humanitarian work in Gaza.”

The country’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron also called for an investigation into the attack.

Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs objected to the “ignorance of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, including humanitarian workers” and called for explanations from the Israeli embassy, ​​security forces and military.

Meanwhile, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Álvarez said he was “horrified” by the deaths of aid workers and called for a ceasefire and the intervention of humanitarian aid.

European Union Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner Janez Lenarčić has also called for a ceasefire, writing in Cow-X: now. ”

Outside Europe, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged that one of the dead was Australian national Zomi Francom, saying her death was “totally unacceptable” and “beyond any reasonable circumstances.” ”

“This news today is tragic. DFAT has also requested that the Israeli ambassador call,” Mr Albanese said at a press conference in Brisbane, referring to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. “We want to take full responsibility for this matter. This is a tragedy that should never have happened.”

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly also said Canada condemned the attack and wanted a thorough investigation.

“Canada expects full responsibility for these killings, and we will convey this directly to the Israeli government. Attacks on humanitarian workers are completely unacceptable,” Jolie said, adding that since the start of the conflict, Canada has I wrote about X as some of the sharpest words ever uttered against Israel.

US reaction

Tensions between the US and Israel are already tense as the Biden administration urges allies to minimize civilian deaths and allow expanded aid to the Strip, but following the death of the WCK staffer, It is likely that it will get worse.

Still, Biden administration officials suggested there would be no change in U.S. support for Israel in its war with Hamas as a result.

Top national security spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that the Israeli attack was “symbolic of a larger problem” and that the government was “outraged” after learning of the incident.

“We look forward to a broader investigation being conducted in a swift and comprehensive manner. We hope that these findings will be made public and that appropriate accountability will be met.” ,” Kirby said at a press conference.

But he said the United States would continue to pressure Israel to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip, but without warning, it would continue to provide support to Israeli forces.

“They are still under threat from Hamas,” Kirby said. “We’re going to make sure they protect themselves and make sure Oct. 7 doesn’t happen again. That doesn’t mean it’s a free pass to turn a blind eye when something like this happens. there is no.”

“You want us to put some conditions on their necks. And what I want to say is, we will continue to work with the Israeli side and make sure they are as accurate as possible. “And more aid is coming in, so we’re going to continue to take that approach,” he said. Added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a separate news conference Tuesday, expressed his condolences to those affected and said aid workers like the group’s staff must be protected.

“There should never be a situation where people who are simply trying to help their fellow man put themselves in grave danger,” he said, adding that the U.S. will discuss the incident with Israel and seek an impartial account of what happened. It added that an investigation had been arranged.

But several U.S. lawmakers, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), called on Washington to end military aid to Israel, saying it was being “used for indiscriminate killings.” He was hoping for further action from the Biden administration.

“The latest horror from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Gaza bombing is killing brave souls at WCKitchen and delivering food to starving Palestinians,” she said. Post to X.

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) I tweeted Aid workers were ‘trying to feed the hungry. The challenge of getting aid to Gaza is already overwhelming – Aid worker in Gaza Strip [WCK, the U.N.] and others should not face death during distribution [assistance]. sufficient! ”

And Congressman Jamal Bowman (D.N.Y.), who has frequently called for a ceasefire, said: “Humanitarian aid workers and civilians… Never become a target of military attack”