“The majority of our operations in Gaza have always been about feeding the Palestinians,” said WCK communications manager Linda Roth when interviewed by the Washington Post. “Our model, as you know, is one of community engagement. We have hundreds of Palestinians employed as contractors and hundreds of other volunteers. They want to return to work.
Late on April 1, an Israeli airstrike hit a WCK convoy, killing all seven people aboard three vehicles, including two armored vehicles. Among those killed were four members of the WCK rescue team: Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom, a 43-year-old Australian; Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, a 25-year-old Palestinian; Damian Soból, a 35-year-old Pole; and Jacob Flickinger, a 33-year-old dual U.S. and Canadian citizen. The other three victims – John Chapman, 57; James Henderson, 33; and James Kirby, 47, were British nationals hired by WCK’s security team.
These killings have been condemned around the world, including by President Biden. “I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven aid workers at World Central Kitchen,” Biden said in a statement at the time. “…They were providing food to starving civilians in the middle of war. They were courageous and selfless. Their death is a tragedy.
In an April 6 interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week,” World Central Kitchen founder and celebrity chef José Andrés said, “I’ll have to live with this for the rest of my life.” We will all have to live with this for the rest of our lives.
The organization said that before April 1, it had distributed more than 43 million meals in Gaza, representing 62 percent of all aid from international non-governmental organizations.
Before suspending its operations for four weeks following the deaths, WCK had set up 68 community kitchens in Gaza, including two high-production facilities, one in Rafah in the south and the other in Deir al-Balah in the central part of the territory. When WCK resumes operations, it will open a third high-production kitchen in Soból’s honor. Located in Mawasi, on the southern coast of Gaza, the establishment will be called “Damian’s Kitchen”, WCK said in its statement.
Soból “was a pure joy to everyone who knew him,” an emotional Andrés said at the funeral ceremony Thursday.
During the ceremony, Andrés also hinted at a possible return of WCK to Gaza. “That’s what we do at World Central Kitchen: we stand with communities as they feed themselves, nourish themselves, and heal themselves,” said his prepared speech. “People don’t want our pity; they want our respect. …The only way to show respect is to face the chaos alongside them.
“We remind them that they are not alone in the darkness,” Andrés added.
Anera, another humanitarian group that halted its operations in Gaza following the killing of WCK workers, resumed its humanitarian work on April 11.
According to its statement released on Sunday, WCK has 276 trucks ready to enter Gaza; the organization said the trucks were transporting the equivalent of 8 million meals. The group said it would continue to explore the use of a shipping corridor that WCK established this year, with a makeshift pier created from war rubble. The organization is looking to send more food and goods by boat with help from Open Arms, a Spanish humanitarian group, and the United Arab Emirates.
Even as it resumes operations, WCK continues to call for an independent, third-party investigation into the Israel Defense Forces attack on the humanitarian convoy.
Four days after the attack, the Israeli army released the results of its internal investigation. It said the attack was a “serious violation” of its policy – the result of “errors” – and was “contrary” to military procedures. He said two officers would be fired and commanders reprimanded, but made no mention of legal actions such as lawsuits. World Central Kitchen responded by asserting that the IDF “cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza.”
In her announcement Sunday, Erin Gore, executive director of WCK, said: “We were forced to make a decision: to completely stop feeding ourselves during one of the worst hunger crises ever seen, effectively ending our operations that accounted for 62 percent of all international NGO aid. Or continue to feed knowing that aid, aid workers and civilians are being intimidated and killed.
“These are the most difficult conversations, and we considered all points of view during deliberations,” Gore added. “Ultimately, we decided we needed to keep feeding ourselves, continuing our mission of being there to provide food to people in the most difficult of times. »
