NBC NEWS
The disaster relief charity World Central Kitchen said Tuesday that seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, placing the future of aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave in peril.
The U.S.-based nonprofit, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, said it was immediately pausing its operations in the region, a major setback for efforts to get food into Gaza by sea and bring much-needed relief to a population that has been pushed to the brink of starvation by the Israel-Hamas war.
Andrés said he was “heartbroken and grieving” for his colleagues who were killed.
“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing,” Andrés wrote on X. “It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon.”
The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately confirm that it was responsible for the deaths, and said in a statement that it was conducting “a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident.” It added that it had been working closely with the World Central Kitchen in their efforts to provide aid to people in Gaza.
