NewsBiden outraged as Israel's strike kills World Central Kitchen volunteers in Gaza

Biden outraged as Israel's strike kills World Central Kitchen volunteers in Gaza

Biden outraged as Israel's strike kills World Central Kitchen volunteers in Gaza
Images source: © Getty Images | Anadolu

9:22 AM EDT, April 3, 2024

President of the USA, Joe Biden, expressed outrage on Tuesday regarding the killing of volunteers from World Central Kitchen in the Gaza Strip by Israel. He stressed that this is not an isolated case and that Israel is not doing enough to protect both civilians and humanitarian workers.

"I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, including one American, in Gaza yesterday. They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war. They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy." the president wrote in his statement.

Biden emphasized that Israel must investigate this matter, which should proceed quickly, and the results should be made public. He also pointed out that those responsible for this incident should be held accountable. The US President noted that Monday's attack on humanitarian workers "is not an isolated incident," and the current conflict ranks among the worst in recent times regarding the death of aid workers.

"This is the main reason why distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza is so difficult - because Israel is not doing enough to protect the workers of aid organizations trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians," Biden stated.

The US will not stop supporting Palestinians

The President of the USA added that Israel is also not doing enough to protect civilians, despite numerous urges from the United States for Israel to develop a mechanism to distinguish Hamas operations from humanitarian actions. Biden promised that the USA would continue providing aid to the Palestinians through all available means.

"I will continue to press Israel to do more to facilitate that aid. And we are pushing hard for an immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal. I have a team in Cairo working on this right now" the US president declared.

Biden also mentioned that he talked on Tuesday with the founder of World Central Kitchen, Jose Andres, whom he knows personally. The president expressed his condolences and support for "his and his team’s relentless and heroic efforts to get food to hungry people around the globe."

Death of volunteers in the Gaza Strip

As a result of an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip, which occurred on Monday, seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen died. The tragic event took place while the workers were delivering food aid that had arrived in the Gaza Strip a few hours earlier on a ship from Cyprus. Among the fatalities are citizens of Australia, Poland, and Great Britain, as well as one person with American-Canadian citizenship. A Palestinian driver also died. The Israeli authorities admitted to the killing, claiming it resulted from a misidentification of the WCK workers.
World Central Kitchen, founded in 2010 by the well-known American chef Jose Andres, provides food aid worldwide and prepares meals for those in need. The organization reported last month that it has provided over 42 million meals in the Gaza Strip over 175 days. WCK has announced that it has suspended its operations in the region.