The humanitarian group World Central Kitchen announced on Sunday that it would resume operations in Gaza, less than a month after seven of its staff were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
A US official said earlier this month that Gaza residents are suffering from catastrophic levels of hunger and that famine was already happening in some parts of Gaza.
The group claimed they were starting operations with the same energy, dignity, and focus to feed as many people as possible while also grieving the loss of their seven friends and colleagues, citing the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Erin Gore, the CEO of WCK, said that they had been forced to make a decision which is to stop feeding altogether during one of the worst hunger crises ever, ceasing their operation that provided for 62% of all International NGO aid, even though aid, aid workers, and civilians are being intimidated and killed.
She added, "These are the hardest conversations, and we have considered all perspectives when deliberating. Ultimately, we decided that we must keep feeding, continuing our mission of showing up to provide food to people during the toughest times."
The seven victims included the 25-year-old Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayab Abutaha; the 43-year-old Australian Lalzawmi Frankcom; the 35-year-old Polish Damian Soból; the 33-year-old US-Canadian dual citizen Jacob Flickinger; and the 47-year-old British citizens John Chapman, 57, James Henderson, 33, and James Kirby.
Furthermore, the IDF apologized for the incident and claimed it was a "mistake," but WCK demands an impartial and international investigation.
According to WCK, 276 trucks with nearly eight million meals are ready to cross the Rafah Crossing. They also said they are sending trucks and looking for a maritime route to distribute meals.
