Collaborators of an American non-governmental organization which delivers food to the Gaza Strip threatened by famine were killed in an Israeli strike on Monday, its founder announced, with Hamas reporting five victims, including four foreigners.
“Today, World Central Kitchen lost several of its sisters and brothers in a strike by the Israeli army in Gaza,” declared on X the boss and founder of this NGO based in the United States, the American-Spanish chef José Andrés.
They were killed “while working to support our humanitarian work of delivering food to Gaza,” according to a separate statement from the organization, denouncing it a “tragedy.”
PHOTO CHIP SOMODEVILLA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
The boss and founder of World Central Kitchen, chef José Andrés (center)
The United States, which is increasingly distancing itself from its Israeli ally after almost six months of war in the Gaza Strip, declared itself “deeply troubled” by this event.
” Broken Heart ”
“We are heartbroken and deeply troubled by the strike,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said on the social network X.
“Humanitarian workers must be protected because they provide aid that [les Palestiniens] are desperately needed, and we urge Israel to promptly investigate what happened,” she added.
The Gaza Ministry of Health reported five victims arriving at a hospital in Deir el-Balah, after “an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle of the American organization World Central Kitchen” in the center of the Gaza Strip. .
“They have British, Australian and Polish nationality and the fourth nationality is not known,” reported in another statement this source from Hamas, the Islamist movement in power in Gaza, specifying that the fifth person was a Palestinian driver and translator. .
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that an Australian woman, Zomi Frankcom, was among the victims. “This is completely unacceptable. Australia demands accountability for all those responsible for the deaths of aid workers,” he said.
An AFP correspondent saw five bodies and three foreign passports near the remains at the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah. Images of these bodies and passports are also circulating on social networks.
The Israeli army said it was “reviewing the tragic incident at the highest level to understand the circumstances” and assured that it had “worked closely with WCK” for its aid distribution.
World Central Kitchen is involved in sending aid by boat from Cyprus to Gaza and building a temporary pier in the besieged Palestinian territory. A first boat unloaded its cargo there in mid-March under the supervision of the Israeli army.