A Washington-based charity that suspended operations in Gaza after losing seven aid workers to Israeli airstrikes has restarted its life-saving work.
World Central Kitchen resumed operations on Monday in Gaza, where the World Food Program says 1.1 million Palestinians face catastrophic levels of hunger and 1-in-3 toddlers younger than two is acutely malnourished.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible," the charity's CEO Erin Gore said.
"We have distributed more than 43 million meals and we are eager to deliver millions more," said Gore, whose charity was founded by celebrity chef José Andrés. "Food is a universal right and our work in Gaza has been the most life-saving mission in our 14-year organizational history."
Israel Defense Forces issued findings showing its airstrikes killing the WCK workers traveling in a convoy in Gaza on April 1 "were carried out in serious violation" of military procedures, when a commander mistakenly assumed two Hamas gunman were inside one of the vehicles.
WCK, whose convoy had coordinated its route with the Israeli military, demanded an independent investigation and urged Western governments to join in the call. Israel apologized for its "grave mistake" of targeting WCK's convoy, which had displayed the charity's logo. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “a tragic incident in which our forces unintentionally hit innocent people."
The seven aid workers killed were Lalzawmi Frankcom of Australia; Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha of Gaza; Damian Soból of Poland; John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby of the United Kingdom; and Jacob Flickinger of Canada and the United States.
Andrés, who founded WCK in 2010, has said that it’s not enough to simply try to avoid further humanitarian deaths; all civilians must be protected, all innocent people in Gaza need to be fed and safe, and all hostages must be released.
Before it suspended operations, WCK had set up 68 community kitchens in Gaza, including two high-production facilities in Rafah and Deir al-Balah. A third high-production facility is being built in Mawasi, where it is known as Damian's Kitchen in honor of Soból and his favorite saying: No Problems, Only Solutions.
"We have been forced to make a decision: stop feeding altogether during one of the worst hunger crises ever, ending our operation that accounted for 62% of all international NGO aid, or keep feeding, knowing that aid, aid workers, and civilians are being intimidated and killed," said Gore.
"These are the hardest conversations, and we have considered all perspectives when deliberating," she said. "Ultimately, we decided that we must keep feeding, continuing our mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest of times."
