World Central Kitchen suspends activties in Gaza’s Rafah due to Israeli attacks

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The World Central Kitchen (WCK), a US-based non-governmental organization, announced that it has suspended operations in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza Strip.

“In the face of Israeli operations in Rafah, countless families are being forced to flee once again. Ongoing attacks have forced us to pause work at our main kitchen in Rafah and relocate many of our community kitchens further north. The situation is dire but WCK's Palestinian team—all directly impacted by the war—is showing up every day to support neighbors in need,” WCK said on X Tuesday.

“Yesterday we provided almost 100,000 meals and will increase capacity this week as 58 of our aid trucks have entered Gaza since Sunday,” WCK added.

The NGO had suspended its operations in Gaza after seven of its aid workers – three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, a US-Canadian dual citizen and a Palestinian – were killed in an Israeli strike on April 1.

It triggered calls for accountability from around the world, with many, including WCK founder Jose Andres, disputing Israel’s claim that the attack was a “mistake” and a case of “misidentification.”

In late April, WCK's chief executive officer Erin Gore said the humanitarian situation in Gaza "remains dire" and announced restarting the operation "with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible."