After a month-long pause due to the deaths of staff members, World Central Kitchen is resuming operations in Gaza. The humanitarian aid organization has relocated its community kitchens to the north of the Gaza Strip following ongoing attacks by Israel’s military in the Rafah region.
The decision to move its operations comes as Israel continues its assault on Rafah, despite international pressure to cease these attacks. A recent Israeli airstrike in a tent camp near Gaza’s southernmost city resulted in the deaths of at least 45 people, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it a “tragic accident.” The attack occurred near a designated safe zone where Palestinians had sought shelter from the violence.
Witnesses and survivors reported that many of those killed in the airstrike died in a fire sparked by the attack. Two additional attacks in Rafah on Tuesday claimed the lives of 21 Palestinians according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel denied carrying out these attacks.
Despite the dire situation, World Central Kitchen was able to provide nearly 100,000 meals to displaced Palestinians on Tuesday and has increased aid deliveries with 58 trucks entering Gaza since the recent escalation. The organization had previously paused operations in April after the deaths of seven aid workers in an Israeli airstrike.
The Biden administration has reiterated its support for Israel, stating that the recent operation in Gaza did not constitute a major ground incursion that would cross U.S. red lines. A CNN analysis has found that U.S.-made munitions were used in the Israeli airstrikes that resulted in numerous casualties.
