Live Gaza | Israel promises independent investigation into deaths of aid workers in Gaza

The team traveled in two armored cars with the organization’s logo and had contact with the Israeli army in advance, according to World Central Kitchen. Despite this, “the convoy was hit as it left the warehouse in Deir al-Balah, where the team had unloaded more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza via the sea route,” World Central Kitchen said in a press release. The organization’s CEO, Erin Gore, called the attack “inexcusable.”

“Tragic incident”
José Andrés, the initiator of World Central Kitchen and a well-known chef in the US, also responded to the death of his employees. “The Israeli government must stop this indiscriminate killing,” the Spanish-American restaurateur said on social media. “She must stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity.”

“Humanitarian workers must be protected as they deliver desperately needed aid, and we urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened,” Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the US National Security Council, also said on social media.

The Israeli military called the incident “a tragic incident” and said it would conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances.

The NGO World Central Kitchen provides food aid and prepares meals for people in need. The organization announced last month that employees in Gaza had distributed more than 42 million meals in 175 days.