World Central Kitchen will restart its operations in Gaza four weeks after seven aid workers were killed by Israeli air strikes, the organization announced on Sunday.
The nonprofit, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, suspended its operations delivering vital food aid in Gaza after the killings. Before the April 1 strike, which killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, the organization had sent around two tons of food to Gaza. The organization has 276 trucks, filled with the equivalent of almost 8 million meals, ready to enter through the Rafah crossing in southern Gaza.
"The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire," World Central Kitchen said in a statement. "We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible."
World Central Kitchen said food will be sent in by whatever means possible, including land, air and sea. The organization has dozens of community kitchens along with high-production kitchens in the Gazan cities of Rafah and Deir al Balah. Construction on a third high-production kitchen in Mawasi is underway.
"WCK has built a strong team of Palestinians to carry the torch forward," the organization said. "Our model has always been to work hand in hand with the community: Puerto Ricans feeding Puerto Ricans; Moroccans feeding Moroccans; Ukrainians feeding Ukrainians; and now, Palestinians feeding Palestinians."
U.S.-Canadian dual national Jacob Flickinger, 33, was among those killed in the April 1 incident. The other WCK staff members killed in the attack, which Israel's military called a "grave mistake," were identified as Palestinian, British, Polish and Australian nationals.
The Israeli military on April 5 announced that it dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others for their roles in the deadly drone strikes, saying they had mishandled critical information and violated the army's rules of engagement.
"The incident should not have occurred," the IDF said in a statement summarizing retired general Yoav Har-Even's seven-page findings. "Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees. The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures."
WCK noted the IDF had apologized and said they had changed their rules of operation.
"In our relentless pursuit for answers and advocacy for change, we remain steadfast in our commitment to safeguarding WCK and all NGO workers who courageously serve in the most dire humanitarian conditions," stated World Central Kitchen on Sunday. "Our call for an impartial and international inquiry stands firm."
The people of war-ravaged Gaza are facing a dire food crisis. Shockingly, a third of children under the age of two in Gaza are currently suffering from severe malnutrition, as reported by the U.N. children's charity UNICEF. International humanitarian organizations warn that over 1 million individuals — half of Gaza's population — are now experiencing famine conditions. World Central Kitchen acknowledged the difficult decision they faced between halting aid during a hunger emergency or resuming aid, knowing the risks involved for aid workers.
"These discussions have been incredibly challenging, and we have carefully weighed all perspectives," WCK expressed. "Ultimately, we have chosen to persist in our mission to provide nourishment to those in need during the most challenging of circumstances."
Israel has accused Hamas of obstructing the distribution of some aid that has entered Gaza, preventing it from reaching those in need.
