In a statement posted on the World Central Kitchen website on Saturday, it said a car in which an employee of the organization was traveling was shot at by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, it was noted that incoming information is fragmentary and WCK members are working to obtain further reports.
“For the time being, we have suspended our operations in the Gaza Strip. We stand with our colleagues and their families during this difficult time,” the statement said.
World Central Kitchen suspends operations in Gaza Strip
Hours before WCK's statement was released, Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that five people, including three employees of a charity organization, were killed in shelling in Khan Yunis in the southern enclave. However, she did not confirm these reports.
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Meanwhile, the Israeli military claims that the Palestinian worker killed in the shelling was a “terrorist” who entered the country and took part in last October's Hamas attack. WCK responded that it was not aware that any of its volunteers were involved in the dramatic events described above.
The Israeli military also said the vehicle that was shot at was a “civilian, unmarked vehicle whose movement along its route was not coordinated for the transport of aid supplies.” On the other hand, Bassall claims that the World Central Kitchen logo was visible.
World Central food truck comes under fire again by Israeli forces
In April, seven WCK employees were killed in a strike in Israel. They were one Australian, three British, one American, one Palestinian and one Polish national, Damian Sobol. Israel said at the time that the targets of the attack were “Hamas killers,” but the military acknowledged a number of “serious mistakes” and violations of its own code of conduct.
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Last week, the United Nations reported that 333 aid workers have died since the war began in October 2023, including 243 staff of the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA).
According to official Israeli data reported by AFP, the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militants on southern Israel killed 1,207 people, most of them civilians. Meanwhile, 44,382 people have been killed in Israeli retaliatory military strikes in Gaza, according to calculations by the region's health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
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