The humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced this Tuesday that suspends operations in Gazaafter confirming that at least seven of its workers were killed “in an attack by the Israel Defense Forces” against his vehicle in the Gazan governorate of Deir al Balá.

“The WCK team was traveling in a de-escalation zone in two armored vehicles with the logo” of the organization, the group said in a statement. The attack cost the lives of a humanitarian team made up of a Briton, a Pole, an Australian and a citizen with dual American-Canadian nationality, as well as three Palestinians, according to the NGO.

They are believed to be the first foreign aid workers killed in the Gaza war since October 7, and have already been claimed more than 32,800 victimsmostly women and children.

The Spanish chef José Andrés, founder of the NGO World Central Kitchen, has asked Israel “stop the indiscriminate killings” after the death of his organization’s humanitarian workers. “World Central Kitchen today lost several of our sisters and brothers in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrike in Gaza. I am heartbroken and saddened for their families and friends. and for our entire WCK family. (…) The Israeli Government must put an end to this indiscriminate killing“, the chef has published on his social network account X, formerly Twitter.

“These are people (angels) I served with in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless people… they are not nameless people,” he added. Furthermore, he has urged the Israeli authorities to “stop restricting humanitarian aid” to the enclave, to stop “killing civilians and aid workers” and to “stop using food as a weapon.” “No more loss of innocent lives. Peace begins with our shared humanity. It has to start now,” added the chef.

For its part, the NGO has acknowledged the deaths, ensuring that it is a “tragedy” and that humanitarian workers “should never be a target.”

Israel announces “deep investigation”

The Israeli army has reported in a statement that it will begin a “deep investigation” and “will be conducting a comprehensive review at the highest level to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident”, and reiterated that they have worked “closely” with WCK – founded by the renowned Spanish chef based in the US José Andrés – to distribute food and humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The North American NGO participated on March 15 in the arrival to Gaza of 200 tons of food and water, inaugurating a maritime corridor aboard the Open Arms ship, and despite calls from the international community and other humanitarian organizations that only the massive arrival of food by land will alleviate an imminent famine in Gaza.

The White House has shown itself “heartbroken” by the bombing by the Israeli Army against a vehicle in which were several humanitarian workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen.

“We are heartbroken and deeply concerned by the attack that killed WCKitchen aid workers in Gaza. Aid workers must be protected while delivering aid that is desperately needed, and we urge Israel to quickly investigate what happened,” said the spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, through her profile on the social network X.