7 World Central Kitchen aid workers killed in Gaza airstrike

Seven members of the aid group World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the organization said Tuesday.

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One U.S. worker who had Canadian dual citizenship was killed as well as workers from Palestine, Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom, The Washington Post reported.

WCK’s CEO Erin Gore called the strike a “targeted attack” and “unforgivable.” The convoy was traveling in a “deconflicted zone” with two armored cars that had the World Central Kitchen logo on them, according to the newspaper.

Celebrity chef José Andrés, who founded the group with his wife in 2010, wrote on social media that he was “heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family.”

The Israel Defense Forces said it is “conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident,” CNN reported.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the deadly attack, “Unfortunately, there was a tragic incident in which our forces unintentionally hit innocent people in the Gaza Strip.” He added, “As it happens in war, we are investigating the matter fully, we are in contact with the governments, and we will do everything possible to prevent this from happening again,” the Post reported.

WCK had been coordinating transportation movements with the Israel Defense Forces but was attacked as it left the Deir al-Balah warehouse after delivering more than 100 tons of food aid to Gaza.

The group was working in partnership with the American Near East Refugee Aid to deliver 150,000 hot meals every day to people in Gaza. The organization has stopped its mission after the attack, The New York Times reported.

WCK is a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, or NGO, according to Reuters. It was started to get emergency food aid to the survivors of a massive earthquake in Haiti. Its mission has expanded from natural disasters to helping refugees and those affected by wars including Ukraine and Gaza.

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