World Central Kitchen said it was suspending its aid operations in Gaza after seven of its workers were killed overnight.
Tel Aviv: World Central Kitchen said it was suspending its aid operations in Gaza after seven of its workers were killed overnight.
“World Central Kitchen is pausing our operations immediately in the region. We will be making decisions about the future of our work soon,” said Erin Gore, CEO of the US-based organization.
WCK confirmed that seven of its workers were killed in an apparent Israeli airstrike on a convoy of trucks delivering food in Deir al-Balah in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The Israel Defense Forces said it is investigating the incident.
“The IDF is conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident,” the IDF said. “The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
According to WCK, the workers were from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, one dual US-Canadian citizen, and one Palestinian.
The United Kingdom has taken a firm stance following the tragic killing of World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza, including three British nationals, summoning the Israeli ambassador to London for a decisive discussion, CNN reported.
British Minister for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell, summoned the Israel’s ambassador to set out the government’s “unequivocal condemnation of the appalling killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including three British nationals,” he said in a Foreign Office press release.
