The three ships that undertook the mission of international humanitarian aid to the civilians of the Gaza Strip are returning to Cyprus after the death of the seven workers of the NGO World Central Kitchen as a result of shelling by the Israeli forces.
The ships return with 240 tons of food that could not be distributed due to hostilities. The ships originally carried about 400 tons and the plan was to make one million meals, however this was not possible.
Outcry over the death of WCK members – Its activities are frozen
Seven workers of the non-governmental organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed yesterday, Monday, in an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle they were traveling in, the American NGO announced today, adding that it is suspending its activities in the region.
"World Central Kitchen is devastated to confirm that seven members of our team have been killed in Gaza by Israeli armed forces," the US-based NGO said.
According to the statement, the workers "were from Australia, Poland, Britain, one had dual US-Canadian citizenship and one was Palestinian."
Despite the fact that WCK was acting in coordination with the Israeli armed forces, its convoy was hit as it was leaving a depot in the Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Bala after unloading more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid for the enclave's Palestinians.
"This is not just an attack on WCK, this is an attack on the humanitarian organizations that operate in the most difficult conditions, where food is used as a weapon of war," complained WCK executive Erin Gore.
"It's unforgivable," he said.
For his part, the founder of the NGO, chef Jose Andres, said that "my heart is broken" and that he mourns for the families and friends of the dead.
"The Israeli government must stop the indiscriminate killings," he said in a post on social media. “It must stop cutting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon of war. May no more innocent lives be lost. Peace begins through our common humanity. It has to start now."
WCK announced that it was suspending its operations in the region and added that it would soon make decisions on its future moves.
The NGO provides food and prepares meals for people in need. In March, it announced that it had provided more than 42 million meals to the Gaza Strip over a period of 175 days.
Source: euronews