Washington, D.C. — Today, the World Central Kitchen confirmed that an Israeli strike killed seven of its aid workers operating in Gaza, including a U.S.-Canadian national and other foreign nationals. The charity has been providing critical food aid in Gaza, where the war against Hamas has left hundreds of thousands of civilians on the brink of starvation. In response, Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:
José Andrés and the team at World Central Kitchen have been heroes for people facing the most difficult circumstances in the world. We are all devastated by this deadly assault on their aid staff in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Let me be clear: The IDF’s indiscriminate attacks are war crimes. They are killing people trying to help a population forced into starvation. Brutal killings of Palestinians seeking food and safe shelter have been ignored or defended as “the cost of war” by those who should be champions of fundamental human rights. If Israeli forces can strike high-profile aid workers—including an American—operating in a deconflicted zone, it is appalling that the U.S. State Department continues to take seriously the Netanyahu government’s assurances it is doing all it can to avoid targeting civilians. These actions are a blatant disregard for the most basic standards of international law.
The United States cannot continue sending offensive weapons that effectively condone these violations while simultaneously banning assistance to UNRWA, the largest aid provider in Gaza. The United States must demand full accountability for this strike and urgently seek pathways to ensure funding to UNRWA continues.
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