World Central Kitchen suspends Gaza operations again after airstrike
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The World Central Kitchen has suspended its operations in Gaza after the Israeli occupation forces killed another three of its workers.
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A bundle of humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip with the logo of World Central Kitchen (WCK) is seen at the Kerem Abu Salem border crossing in southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (AP)
The World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced on Saturday the suspension of its relief activities in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of three of its staff members.
A medical source in Gaza reported that five Palestinians, including the three WCK staffers, were killed in the airstrike, which targeted a vehicle on Salah al-Din Street in northeast Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The strike caused significant damage to the vehicle and the surrounding area. Three people inside the vehicle and two passersby were among the victims.
Breaking: This morning, Israel killed three World Food kitchen workers—Azeem Jalal Abu Daqqa, Ahed Azmi Qudeih, and Mohammed Adel Al-Namla—by striking their vehicle in Khan Younis. pic.twitter.com/EBGkQM50YC
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) November 30, 2024
In an initial statement, WCK expressed profound sorrow over the incident, "We are heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza."
The organization rejected claims made by the Israeli military, which alleged a connection between one of the individuals in the targeted vehicle and October 7's Operation al-Aqsa Flood, attack. WCK stated it did not know about any such link involving its employees.
The three WCK workers were identified as Azeem Jalal Abu Daqqa, Ahed Azmi Qudeih, and Mohammed Adel Al-Namla. This attack is not an isolated incident, with a previous strike in April resulting in the deaths of seven workers.
"At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details. World Central Kitchen had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack," the organization stressed.
The organization concluded its statement by announcing the temporary suspension of its operations in Gaza in light of the tragic event.
This attack is not an isolated incident, with a previous strike in April resulting in the deaths of seven WCK workers. On April 1, a truck arrived at a WCK warehouse and three other, unrelated trucks, left on a route that the NGO had informed the Israeli occupation forces of beforehand. Not only that, the IOF were informed of the exact time the convoy would leave.
The occupation admitted that it was behind the attack and has received wide condemnation, especially from Western countries, who also demanded an "immediate investigation" into the crime at the time, but little was done as humanitarian aid workers continue to be targeted in Gaza to this day.
