WCK announces resumption of relief work in Gaza
Gaza, April 29 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) The World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US-based charity, has announced the resumption of its relief work in the Gaza Strip after a nearly month-long suspension in response to the killing of its seven staff members in an Israeli airstrike. The WCK said in a press statement on Sunday that despite the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, it is “resuming its operations with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible”. It added, “We have so far distributed more than 43 million meals, and we are eager to provide millions more.” The organization stressed the importance of delivering food aid to northern Gaza, noting that its 276 trucks carrying the equivalent of approximately 8 million meals are ready to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, Xinhua news agency reported. It added that it is also exploring the maritime corridor, in addition to establishing 68 community kitchens, saying, “We are building a third high-production kitchen in (the southern Gazan town of) Al-Mawasi, along with two others in Rafah (in the south) and Deir al-Balah (in central Gaza).” The charity suspended its humanitarian aid operations in Gaza on April 2 after seven of its staff members were killed in an Israeli strike targeting an aid convoy in Deir al-Balah. The incident, which resulted in the deaths of aid workers from Australia, Canada/the United States (dual citizen), Gaza, Poland, and Britain, sparked condemnation both regionally and internationally. Later, the Israeli military claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, saying it was conducted “upon mistaken identification and due to errors in decision-making,” as it believed the convoy was transporting Hamas members. The WCK organization is responsible for receiving vessels loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza. It acts on behalf of the United Arab Emirates in distributing humanitarian aid transported by sea through a port in Cyprus to Gaza residents.
