Aid groups working in Gaza halt operations over deadly Israeli strike on World Kitchen charity
Following the killing of seven of its aid workers in an Israeli airstrike, World Central Kitchen (WCK) has halted its operations in the Gaza Strip, leaving many Palestinians uncertain about how they will provide for their families.
Anera, another US charity collaborating with WCK, has also suspended its activities due to the escalating risks confronting its local staff and their families.
Together, these organisations were distributing two million meals weekly throughout the Palestinian territory. The UN has cautioned that approximately 1.1 million individuals, constituting half of the population, are on the brink of severe hunger due to Israeli-imposed constraints on aid deliveries, ongoing hostilities, and the breakdown of order.
WCK’s decision to pause its operations has also resulted in the “freezing” of a maritime aid corridor from Cyprus, established with the charity’s assistance last month to enhance the flow of aid into northern Gaza and prevent an imminent famine.
The WCK convoy came under attack on Monday night while travelling south along the coastal aid route designated by Israel, shortly after unloading over 100 tonnes of food from a barge at a warehouse in Deir al-Balah.
The barge, part of a four-vessel flotilla, returned to Cyprus with 240 tonnes of supplies that couldn’t be offloaded following the airstrike.
The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that “what happened to World Central Kitchen threatens the entire aid system” and had left it “on the brink”.