 "How the death of World Central Kitchen workers in Israel airstrike imperils Gaza aid")
“They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy. Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the aid workers’ vehicles were hit by airstrikes. That investigation must be swift, it must bring accountability, and its findings must be made public.”
Hours after seven aid workers belonging to the World Central Kitchen, a charity delivering food to besieged Palestinians, were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, US president Joe Biden expressed his outrage and heartbreak over the tragedy, saying Israel has not “has not done enough” to protect civilians.
The incident has drawn widespread international condemnation and underscores the risks that humanitarian workers take every day in trying to deliver still-insufficient levels of aid to Gaza.
As a result of the deaths, World Central Kitchen (WCK) has paused operations in Gaza, which is a new is a new blow to humanitarian efforts.
We take a closer look at what happened, who were the workers and how this incident raises questions on the future of aid deliveries in the war-torn region.
Airstrike that killed aid workers
On Monday night, seven aid workers belonging to World Central Kitchen , which was founded by founded by Spanish-American chef, José Andrés, in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, were killed in an Israeli strike in the city of Deir al-Balah.
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More ShortsThe charity announced in a statement, “Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza on the maritime route.”
According to sources within the IDF, the aid workers’, who were travelling in two armoured cars branded with its logo and one non-armoured vehicle, were hit by three times by missiles fired from a drone based on suspicions that a terrorist was travelling with the convoy.
Haaretz quoting sources said that some of the passengers left their vehicle after it was hit by the first missile and climbed into another car, which was then hit by a second missile. The third car in the convoy, which approached to pick up the occupants of the second car, was hit by a third missile. The strike killed all of the WCK workers in the convoy.
Following the tragedy, WCK has suspended its work in the region while Andres said his group “lost several of our sisters and brothers” in what it said was an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Andrés called on Israel to “stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost.”
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that his country had killed seven humanitarian workers, in what he described as “unintentional”. “Unfortunately there was a tragic incident in the last 24 hours in which our forces unintentionally hit innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “It happens in wartime… We will do everything we can to ensure this isn’t repeated.”
The Israeli military further pledged an investigation by “an independent, professional and expert body”.
The aid workers who died
But who are the seven humanitarian workers who died in the airstrike? WCK announced that the victims were British, Polish, Australian, Palestinian and also included a dual US-Canadian citizen.
The Australian was identified as Lalzawmi ‘Zomi’ Frankcom, with her family saying that she “died doing the work she loves.” The 43-year-old aid worker from Melbourne, Australia was the WCK’s Relief Lead in Gaza. She was described as a “kind, selfless and outstanding human being [who] travelled the world helping others in their time of need”.
The Polish victim was identified as Damian Sobol. The country’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said on X: “Our brave compatriot, Damian Sobol from the city of Przemyśl helped those in need in Gaza, where a humanitarian crisis is taking place. He was killed in an attack for which the Israeli army claimed responsibility.”
Noah Sims, a chef in North Georgia and a former colleague of Sobol described the Polish as “the Michael Jordan of humanitarian work”, reported the New York Times. “Anything I ever needed, Damian could get it done,” Sims said.
The British government has confirmed that three of the aid workers who died were British nationals and confirmed their identities to be John Chapman (57), James (Jim) Henderson (33) and James Kirby (47). Local British media outlets described Chapman and Henderson as former Royal Marines who later turned to volunteer work.
The sixth worker Jacob Flickinger, was a 33-year-old dual citizen of the United States and Canada, according to the World Central Kitchen, and worked on the group’s relief team. US secretary of state Anthony Blinken described the aid workers as “heroes” who were “simply trying to help fellow human beings”.
Last but not the least was local Palestinian — 27-year-old Saif Issam Abu Taha. He worked for World Central Kitchen as a driver and translator since the beginning of the year, relatives said. As per an AP report, he had also been a successful businessman who conducted trade with Ukraine, Egypt, China and others.
Following his demise, his body was transported to Rafah, his hometown, where mourners gathered to bid him a farewell. “He was happy to work with an organisation that provides humanitarian aid to the displaced, our hearts are broken by your death, Saif,” his close friend Hassan told the BBC amid tears, sadness and anger.
Aid workers dying in Gaza
Monday’s airstrike killing seven aid workers is not the first time that an incident such as this has taken place since the war broke out in Gaza on 7 October 2023. As per Aid Worker Security Database, a compilation of data on attacks funded by the United States Agency for International Development, 203 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the war started. All of them have been Palestinian until Monday’s strike. The UNRWA, the UN agency dedicated to Palestine, has stated that 176 of their workers have died since October last year.
Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s humanitarian co-ordinator for the occupied territories, was quoted as telling the Financial Times, “There is no safe place left in Gaza.”
Ciarán Donnelly, the International Rescue Committee’s senior vice president for crisis, response, recovery, and development, told Vox: The attack that happened yesterday isn’t something that happened in isolation. There has been a pattern of attacks against humanitarian aid operations and facilities as well as medical workers and facilities throughout this conflict. Gaza is both one of the most dangerous and one of the most restrictive spaces we’ve operated in for quite some time.”
A humanitarian blow to Gaza
The attack has led to WCK to pause deliveries of aid to the people of Gaza. Other charities have also announced they are suspending operations in the territory in the aftermath of an Israeli drone attack.
One such organisation is Anera, which helps refugees around West Asia. The group said the killings, “alongside the loss of numerous other aid workers and their families, has led our team to conclude that delivering aid safely is no longer feasible”. “While we understand the severe consequences this suspension will have on the Palestinian population, the escalating risks associated with aid delivery leave us with no choice but to halt operations until our staff regain confidence that they can do their work without undue risk,” a statement said.
Such actions will be a definite blow to Gaza and the thousands who live there and are staring at an imminent famine . Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have predicted that by August if a ceasefire isn’t called, the number of deaths in Gaza would reach nearly 67,000 and exceed 85,000 if there’s an escalation in the conflict.
The airstrike killing seven is also a huge problem for Israel. With more international voices condemning the strikes, the country becomes more isolated on the international stage. The Benjamin Netanyahu-led country is losing support from its allies, such as the US and the UK.
Israel risks being left without any partners to provide and deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza after the deadly erroneous IDF strikes on a convoy belonging to the World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid group in central Gaza, a United States official told The Times of Israel on Tuesday.
Israel has already been under rising international pressure to alleviate severe hunger in Gaza, which has been shattered by Israel’s offensive against the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Another official also noted that the deaths would raise more hurdles for Israel as it seeks to press ahead with a promised offensive in Rafah .
With inputs from agencies
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