Celebrity chef José Andrés has released a statement demanding the Israeli government put an end to what he described as “indiscriminate killing” in Gaza after the death of four humanitarian workers at his non-profit, World Central Kitchen.
In a post to X, Andrés said he was “heartbroken and grieving” to learn about the tragic loss of several colleagues, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Monday while working to deliver food in the enclave, according to the aid organization.
“These are people…angels…I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless…they are not nameless,” Andrés said in his post. “The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing.”
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The Israeli Defense Forces have since released a statement promising to conduct “a thorough review at the highest levels” into the incident, adding that “the IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid.”
Founded by Andrés in 2010, the World Central Kitchen has been at the forefront of operations to deliver food to Gaza’s starving population, which has been living under the threat of famine after months of restrictions to aid deliveries.
In his statement on Monday, Andrés accused Israel of “using food as a weapon” of war in Gaza, and called on the government “to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers.” “No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now,” he added.
Harrowing footage circulated in the aftermath of the tragedy showed the bodies of several World Central Kitchen employees, at least three of whom are aid workers reportedly from Australia, Poland, and the U.K. Their identities have not yet been made public.
The World Central Kitchen has operated in conflict zones and natural disasters around the world, with a focus on facilitating food deliveries in times of crises. In recent weeks, the aid organization has reportedly delivered hundreds of tons worth of food to the war-torn Gaza Strip, where it operates dozens of kitchens.
In a statement confirming the incident on Monday, the nonprofit called the killings a “tragedy,” adding in an X post that “humanitarian aid workers and civilians should NEVER be a target. EVER.”
