The flotilla with humanitarian aid for Loop has headed back to its base in Cyprus with a good part of the cargo undelivered, after the Israeli attack in which seven aid workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) died on Monday, sources from the operation informed EFE this Tuesday. .
Before the attack, about 100 of the 400 tons carried by this second mission of the maritime aid corridor to Gaza had been managed to disembark, which left Cyprus last Saturday, in which WCK, founded by the Spanish chef José Andrés, and the NGO Open Arms.
Previously, World Central Kitchen had announced that it was immediately discontinuing its operations in the region and would soon make decisions about the future of its business.
The NGO has been working in Gaza for five months, during which it has distributed tens of millions of meals to the Gazan population.
At the moment, the ships are already en route back to Cyprus, as confirmed to EFE by Laura Lanuza, head of communications for the Spanish NGO Open Arms, but without adding more details at the moment.
“This is not only an attack against WCK, but also against humanitarian organizations that intervene in the most terrible situations, in which food is used as a weapon of war. “It’s unforgivable.” Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen, denounced in a statement.
This NGO also assured that the attacked team was moving in a de-escalation zone in vehicles duly marked with the WCK emblem, and that their movements were coordinated with the Israeli forces.
For his part, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Constantinos Kombos, assured this Tuesday in a press conference that the attack occurred 12 kilometers from the aid landing area, on the coast of Gaza, and that the aid workers were killed. They were heading home from the warehouses after finishing their work shift.
“We don’t know why this happened, how it happened, what the reason was, whether there was a mistake or not, this is what we are trying to clarify but, understandably, at this moment we are thinking about the victims, thinking about WCK”said the minister.
Kombos assured that WCK has suspended its operations out of respect for the victims and to review the security protocol.
On March 12, WCK and Open Arms inaugurated a corridor to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea to alleviate the famine caused by the blockade and the Israeli punishment attacks on the attacks by the Islamist group Hamas that left more than 1,100 dead on October 7. deathly victims.
In these retaliatory actions, 32,900 people have died, according to the Gazan Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas.
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Source: Gestion
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