World Central Kitchen forced to halt humanitarian operations in Gaza
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Humanitarian groups like the World Central Kitchen have been forced to halt operations due to supply shortages and denied aid access.
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A 7-month-old child in Gaza suffering from malnutrition at the malnutrition clinic in Nasser hospital, Khan Younis, on May 1, 2025 (AP)
The United Nations warned on Wednesday of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, citing a complete depletion of malnutrition prevention supplements and "Israel's" persistent blockade on assistance delivery.
"The situation there is growing worse by the day," spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay stated, citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Tremblay said the UN's "colleagues working to prevent malnutrition report that there are no more malnutrition prevention supplements left in stock in Gaza."
"While some malnutrition treatment stocks remain, these will also be depleted soon unless the crossings reopen for the entry of cargo," she added.
She asserted Israeli assaults on schools that housed displaced civilians and stated that satellite imagery analysis shows that more than 95% of Gaza's school buildings had been damaged.
90% of families in Gaza have water insecurity
"A new report by (UN) partners found that last month, 90% of families they assessed were facing water insecurity, forcing difficult choices between essential needs such as cooking and washing their hands," according to Tremblay.
She also underscored the UN's willingness to send help quickly if "Israel" allows access, stating that "more than 240,000 metric tons of supplies are ready to be dispatched from warehouses outside Gaza."
"Today, [Israel] denied three-quarters of the UN's requests, or six out of eight," Tremblay said, stressing that half of the denials were for collecting crucial supplies from military areas.
World Central Kitchen halts Gaza operations amid shortages
World Central Kitchen (WCK) has announced the suspension of its humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, citing a complete depletion of essential supplies. In a statement posted on X, the organization said it can no longer continue its relief efforts without Israeli approval to allow aid deliveries into the region.
After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza. #ChefsForGaza (1/5) pic.twitter.com/jOLhLjxlEF
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) May 7, 2025
“After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza,” the organization stated.
WCK reported that its large-scale field kitchens have run out of the ingredients needed to prepare meals, while its mobile bakery, the last functioning in Gaza, has also exhausted its flour supply.
"More than 80% of community kitchens have run out of WCK-provided stock. Without ingredients or fuel, these kitchens cannot feed families who rely on them," the organization added.
Despite the shutdown, WCK noted that trucks loaded with food and cooking fuel have been waiting at the Gaza border since early March. In the meantime, the group continues to support Palestinian families by distributing clean drinking water where possible.
