Aid Organization Suspends Gaza Operations After Staff Killed in Israeli Strike

The World Central Kitchen (WCK) charity has announced the suspension of its activities in Gaza after an Israeli air strike impacted a vehicle transporting its personnel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the individual targeted in the strike had participated in the 7 October attacks on Israel and was currently employed by WCK. WCK expressed that it was “heartbroken to share” that a staff vehicle had been hit and was seeking further details, though it added it had “no knowledge” that anyone in the car had connections to the 7 October attacks. The Palestinian state-run news agency Wafa reported that five individuals died in the strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Saturday, with three of them being WCK employees. Among those killed was the director of WCK’s kitchens in Gaza, the agency further noted. Images circulated on social media depicted a white saloon car by the roadside, partially burnt and with its roof collapsed. Footage recorded inside a mortuary also displayed several charred personal items, including a laptop, clothing, and an ID badge, all bearing the WCK logo. Separately, the British aid organization Save the Children reported that one of its staff members was also killed on Saturday afternoon in Khan Younis. Ahmad Faisal Isleem Al-Qadi, 39, was returning home to his wife and three-year-old daughter from a mosque when he died, according to the charity. Save the Children stated, “Ahmad, who was deaf, will be remembered for his determination to help others, for his pride in his daughter, and for his ability to brighten others’ days”. It remains unclear whether his death occurred in the same strike as the WCK employees. Also on Saturday, medical sources indicated that at least nine people were killed when an air strike struck a car near a group of individuals who had gathered to receive flour, as reported by Reuters. A doctor who informed the BBC that he had treated people injured at a food distribution point stated he would not have “appreciated the magnitude of injury and death” had he not witnessed it personally. He added, “I operated on a man with shrapnel injury with no fewer than nine holes in his bowels. Others had much worse injuries.” The doctor also mentioned that many medical professionals were now reliant on food distributed by aid agencies for their own survival. In a statement addressing the WCK strike, the IDF asserted that it had “struck a vehicle [carrying] a terrorist that took part in the murderous 7 October massacre”. It specified that the man had participated in an attack on the kibbutz of Nir Oz, though it also noted that it was “not possible to link the terrorist to a specific abduction attempt”. The IDF further stated, “The terrorist was monitored for a while by IDF intelligence and was struck following credible information regarding his real time location.” It clarified that the strike targeted a “civilian unmarked vehicle” whose movement had “not been coordinated for transporting aid”. The IDF proceeded to demand “clarifications and an urgent investigation” from WCK and the international community “regarding the hiring of workers who took part in… terrorist activity against Israel”. WCK’s statement reiterated that it was “heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza”. It continued, “At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details,” adding, “World Central Kitchen had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7th Hamas attack”. The organization confirmed it would be pausing its work in Gaza, stating, “Our hearts are with our colleagues and their families in this unimaginable moment.” In April, seven WCK workers, including three British security staff, were killed in an Israeli strike on an aid convoy, which led to widespread condemnation and a temporary suspension of the charity’s operations. The IDF subsequently acknowledged that “grave mistakes” had been made and dismissed two senior officers.