![\"Israeli](\"https:\/\/mf.b37mrtl.ru\/files\/2024.04\/xxs\/660bb8b485f54047ca6b213f.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/div>\nA vehicle of the World Central Kitchen NGO destroyed
\nin an Israeli airstrike in the city of Deir al-Balah in the
\nGaza Strip.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a9\u00a0<\/span>AFP<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nSeven aid workers, including four foreigners, providing meals for the World Central Kitchen (WCK) have been killed in a\u00a0\u201ctargeted attack\u201d<\/em>\u00a0by Israeli forces in Gaza, the NGO, founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, has said.<\/p>\nAll of the group\u2019s operations in the Palestinian enclave have been suspended following the Monday incident, it added.<\/p>\n
Five fatalities were reported initially as a result of the airstrike, but WCK announced an updated death toll in a statement on Tuesday. The victims include a dual US-Canadian citizen, three Palestinians, an Australian, a Pole and a British national, the group said.<\/p>\n
According to the NGO, its staff members were attacked in the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza as they were leaving a warehouse after unloading tons of food aid earlier delivered to the Palestinian enclave by sea.<\/p>\n
The aid workers were traveling through a de-conflicted zone in two armored cars with the WCK logo on them as well as a soft skin vehicle, the NGO said. The convoy was struck despite WCK coordinating its movements with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the statement read.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations, where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0WCK CEO Erin Gore said.<\/p>\nVideos from the scene of the attack show the bodies of several people in World Central Kitchen vests. British, Polish and Australian passports were also seen in the clips.
\nAndres wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he was\u00a0\u201cheartbroken\u201d<\/em>\u00a0by what had happened. The Michelin-starred chef urged the Israeli government to stop its\u00a0\u201cindiscriminate killing,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0restriction of humanitarian aid and\u00a0\u201cusing food as a weapon\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in Gaza.<\/p>\nAustralia has confirmed that one of its citizens was killed in the IDF strike, with the country\u2019s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying that Canberra\u00a0\u201cexpects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nUS National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson wrote on X that Washington was\u00a0\u201cdeeply troubled\u201d<\/em>\u00a0by the deaths of the WCK staff.\u00a0\u201cWe urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Watson said.<\/p>\nThe Israeli military said it was carrying out a thorough review in order to understand the circumstances of the incident in Deir al-Balah.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and\u00a0<\/em>has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0it insisted.<\/p>\nThe UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said last month that 165 of its workers have been killed since October 7, when the IDF began its attacks on Gaza in response to an incursion into Israel by Hamas, in which at least 1,200 were killed and 250 taken hostage. The death toll from Israel\u2019s airstrikes and ground offensive in Gaza has already reached 32,845 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry.<\/p>\n
Seven aid workers, including four foreigners, providing meals for the World Central Kitchen (WCK) have been killed in a\u00a0\u201ctargeted attack\u201d<\/em>\u00a0by Israeli forces in Gaza, the NGO, founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, has said.<\/p>\n All of the group\u2019s operations in the Palestinian enclave have been suspended following the Monday incident, it added.<\/p>\n Five fatalities were reported initially as a result of the airstrike, but WCK announced an updated death toll in a statement on Tuesday. The victims include a dual US-Canadian citizen, three Palestinians, an Australian, a Pole and a British national, the group said.<\/p>\n According to the NGO, its staff members were attacked in the town of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza as they were leaving a warehouse after unloading tons of food aid earlier delivered to the Palestinian enclave by sea.<\/p>\n The aid workers were traveling through a de-conflicted zone in two armored cars with the WCK logo on them as well as a soft skin vehicle, the NGO said. The convoy was struck despite WCK coordinating its movements with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the statement read.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations, where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0WCK CEO Erin Gore said.<\/p>\n Videos from the scene of the attack show the bodies of several people in World Central Kitchen vests. British, Polish and Australian passports were also seen in the clips. Australia has confirmed that one of its citizens was killed in the IDF strike, with the country\u2019s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying that Canberra\u00a0\u201cexpects full accountability for the deaths of aid workers, which is completely unacceptable.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson wrote on X that Washington was\u00a0\u201cdeeply troubled\u201d<\/em>\u00a0by the deaths of the WCK staff.\u00a0\u201cWe urge Israel to swiftly investigate what happened,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Watson said.<\/p>\n The Israeli military said it was carrying out a thorough review in order to understand the circumstances of the incident in Deir al-Balah.<\/p>\n \u201cThe IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid, and\u00a0<\/em>has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0it insisted.<\/p>\n The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said last month that 165 of its workers have been killed since October 7, when the IDF began its attacks on Gaza in response to an incursion into Israel by Hamas, in which at least 1,200 were killed and 250 taken hostage. The death toll from Israel\u2019s airstrikes and ground offensive in Gaza has already reached 32,845 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry.<\/p>\n
\nAndres wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he was\u00a0\u201cheartbroken\u201d<\/em>\u00a0by what had happened. The Michelin-starred chef urged the Israeli government to stop its\u00a0\u201cindiscriminate killing,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0restriction of humanitarian aid and\u00a0\u201cusing food as a weapon\u201d<\/em>\u00a0in Gaza.<\/p>\n