Death of humanitarian workers is “inevitable result” of the management of the war in Gaza

“UN Secretary-General António Guterres offers his condolences to the staff of World Central Kitchen following the death of their employees in Gaza who were on a humanitarian mission,” said Stéphane Dujarric at a press conference in New York. “The multiplicity of such events is the inevitable result of the way this war is being conducted,” he stressed, reaffirming, once again, the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that the Israeli army “unintentionally” killed seven aid workers from the WCK organization and said that the incident will be the subject of an exhaustive investigation.

The institution, created by Spanish chef José Andrés, is one of two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) actively involved in delivering aid to Gaza by sea from Cyprus.

Dujarric told journalists that the WCK workers who were victims of the Israeli bombing had met shortly before with a senior UN official, the coordinator for Gaza Reconstruction, Sigrid Kaag, who “is appalled by this attack.”

The spokesperson stated that the death of these seven humanitarian workers, of different nationalities, is an example of “the deadly challenges” that these personnel face “every day in Gaza, whether international or more often Palestinian”.

From Geneva, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, condemned the attack in Gaza that caused the deaths of WCK workers and called for an investigation. “Like other humanitarian workers, they were saving lives. This attack must be independently and thoroughly investigated. Accountability is essential. Israel must respect and protect all humanitarian workers,” Turk emphasized on the X social network.

For his part, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, described aid workers as “dead heroes” as they tried to feed hungry people. For Griffiths, “the actions of those behind this are indefensible.” “This has to stop,” he stressed.

According to Dujarric, at least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed since October in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which he considered “one of the most dangerous and difficult workplaces in the world”.

WCK described that one of its vehicles was attacked by the Israeli army while passing through Deir al Balah, in the center of the Gaza Strip, after leaving a warehouse where they had unloaded 100 tons of food, in a movement coordinated with the Israeli authorities.

The attack against humanitarian workers has already been condemned by the European Union and several countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain and Belgium, which demanded explanations from Israel for the death of seven humanitarian workers.

The United States called on Tel Aviv for a “swift, thorough and impartial investigation.”

Since the start of the war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on October 7, 2023, WCK has participated in relief efforts and providing meals to Gaza residents.

WCK, based in the United States, was founded during the serious humanitarian crisis that affected Haiti after the violent earthquake in 2010.