Following the tragic killing of seven aid workers from the NGO ‘World Central Kitchen’ by an Israeli strike on Tuesday, UN humanitarian officials in Gaza have taken decisive action.
Nighttime operations have been suspended for a minimum of 48 hours to assess security concerns affecting both personnel and the communities they serve, announced UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric during Wednesday’s noon briefing in New York.
Daytime operations, including the critical endeavor to deliver food aid convoys into northern Gaza, continue despite this setback, according to the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
However, the suspension of aid operations by World Central Kitchen and other charities has had a profound impact in the Gaza Strip, noted Mr. Dujarric. “It has a tangible effect on individuals relying on these organizations for aid,” he stated. “Moreover, it instills a psychological and chilling effect on humanitarian workers, both Palestinian and international, who persist in delivering aid under considerable personal risk.”
The World Central Kitchen team, comprising local and international staff, fell victim to multiple Israeli airstrikes on their convoy as they departed their warehouse in Deir al Balah, central Gaza.
Expressing horror at the incident, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasized that the vehicles were unmistakably marked and should never have been targeted.
WHO has collaborated with World Central Kitchen to distribute food to healthcare workers and patients in Gaza hospitals.
Calling for safe humanitarian access through the establishment of an effective mechanism for deconfliction, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the necessity for cleared roads and expedited passage through checkpoints, particularly in northern Gaza.
In the aftermath, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is collaborating with the Palestine Red Crescent Society to facilitate the repatriation of the deceased international staff from World Central Kitchen.
Israeli authorities have acknowledged the strike as a “grave mistake” resulting from misidentification and have pledged to establish a humanitarian command center for improved aid coordination. An independent investigation will be conducted, with findings shared with relevant international organizations.
WHO reiterated its request to access the destroyed Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, highlighting the urgent need to protect hospitals from becoming battlegrounds. Since the onset of the conflict nearly six months ago, WHO has documented over 900 attacks on healthcare facilities across Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, and Lebanon, resulting in significant casualties.
