Open Arms and World Central Kitchen (WCK) have suspended the joint mission they were carrying out in the humanitarian maritime corridor ofand Loop after the “devastating attack suffered by the organization’s humanitarian convoy founded by chef José Andrés, and the death of seven WCK collaborators.

“This attack, carried out by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last Monday, marks a painful turning point in our efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Open Arms highlighted this Thursday in a statement.

Thus, they mourn the death of the seven people and that their names are joined “to the long list of more than 32,500 civilians, mostly women and childrenvictims of violence in Gaza since October 2023, along with hundreds of humanitarian workers and journalists in an unprecedented escalation of violence.”

An unjustified attack

They explain that on March 15, Open Arms and WCK “successfully” delivered the first 200 tons of food, and that on March 31, three ships, including Open Arms with a floating platform, set sail from Cyprus in the second shipment of aid. sea ​​to Gaza, transporting almost 400 tons of food enough to prepare more than a million meals.

Once they reached the Gaza coast on Monday, they add, the Open Arms and WCK teams managed to disembark the first 100 tons of food “which WCK’s ground team quickly moved to a warehouse in Deir al-Balahon the fringe”.

“A few minutes after finishing the landing operation, the convoy, made up of three clearly identified vehicles with the WCK logo, was attacked by three missiles launched by the IDF at separate times,” they lament.

They also claim that this happened “although the organization had coordinated its movements with the Israeli authorities, who were aware of his itinerary, route and humanitarian mission.

“It’s a genocide”

The director of Open Arms, Òscar Camps, considers that what is happening in Gaza is a “genocide“, in addition to maintaining that the most basic human rights are not being respected.

For this reason, it has demanded responses and responsibilities and has called on the international community to reinforce its efforts “in protecting civilians and those who risk their lives to bring aid to people in vulnerable situations”.