World Central Kitchen Halts Operations in Gaza After Staff Members Reportedly Killed

Gaza, December 1 (NationPress) The World Central Kitchen (WCK) has officially suspended its operations in Gaza after reports emerged concerning the killing of its staff members in an Israeli airstrike. The US-based organization expressed its sorrow, stating, "We are heartbroken to share that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza."

They further elaborated, "At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details." The organization emphasized that it has no information suggesting that anyone in the vehicle had any links to the Hamas attack that occurred in early October last year, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

On Saturday, local eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli aircraft targeted a vehicle in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, striking it with at least one missile and resulting in the deaths of WCK's Palestinian employees who were inside.

In contrast, the Israel Defense Forces stated on Saturday that they struck a vehicle containing a militant who was also a WCK employee and had participated in the Hamas attack.

Israel has initiated a significant offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip as a response to a Hamas assault on the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023, which claimed approximately 1,200 lives and resulted in around 250 hostages being taken.