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By Natalie Venegas
Weekend Reporter
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An Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in Gaza on Saturday has claimed more lives from the humanitarian organization, World Central Kitchen (WCK), after Israel's military said it targeted a WCK worker who had been allegedly a part of Hamas' attack on Israel last October, the Associated Press reported.
WCK acknowledged the deadly airstrike in an email statement to the AP and said it is "urgently seeking more details" following the Israeli military's claims about one of its workers.
In the statement, WCK said it was "heartbroken" over the incident, adding that it had no prior knowledge of any alleged ties between the individuals in the vehicle and Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, that sparked the ongoing war. The charity emphasized that it was "working with incomplete information" and has since announced a suspension of its operations in Gaza.
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In an emailed statement to Newsweek on Saturday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the airstrike and said the claim that the alleged attacker was a WCK worker" is being examined."
"Earlier today, the IDF struck a vehicle with a terrorist that took part in the murderous October 7th massacre. The terrorist was monitored for a while by IDF intelligence and was struck following credible information regarding his real time location. The claim that the terrorist was simultaneously a WCK worker is being examined," the IDF said in a statement. "We emphasize that it was a civilian unmarked vehicle and its movement on the route was not coordinated for transporting of aid."
In addition, the Israeli military has now called on "senior officials from the international community and the WCK administration to clarify" the circumstances surrounding the worker's alleged ties to the Palestinian militant group.
Palestinian health official Muneer Alboursh initially confirmed the casualties and an anonymous aid worker, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak with the media, corroborated that three out of the five people killed were affiliated with WCK.
WCK, who has been offering aid since the Israel-Hamas war began last year, provides freshly prepared meals to people in need following natural disasters or to those enduring conflict.
Newsweek has reached out to WCK via email for comment.
A relative of one victim described him as en route to perform his duties at the charity's facilities when the strike occurred. The attack left personal belongings, including burned phones and WCK identification badges, scattered at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
The airstrike comes as Gaza continues to grapple with a severe humanitarian crisis that has displaced much of the territory's 2.3 million population and triggered widespread hunger.
In addition, WCK has faced repeated losses in the region. In April, an Israeli airstrike mistakenly targeted a WCK convoy, killing seven workers who were delivering over 100 tons of food. The convoy had been clearly marked and was operating inside an area designated as deconflicted, in coordination with the IDF. WCK CEO Erin Gore called the strike an "unforgivable" attack on humanitarian workers.
Operations were paused as a result, worsening the famine risk for people already starving. The Israeli military has since said the strike was a mistake.
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Saturday's airstrike comes after the United Nations (U.N.) has reported a record 281 humanitarian aid workers were killed in global conflict zones this year. With a little more than a month left until the new year, the figure for 2024 has so far surpassed last year's total of 280, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
However, the raging conflict in the Middle East has been the single biggest cause of this.
The Aid Worker Security Database, which tracks incidents of violence against aid workers and is managed by the United Kingdom-based group Humanitarian Outcomes, revealed that 268 of those killed were national staff members, while 13 were international workers.
In addition, over 230 deaths occurred in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, although the database did not specify whether the fatalities took place in Gaza or the West Bank.
Israel's attacks have continued since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, 2023, after the Iran-backed militant group attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage. As of Saturday, 100 Israelis are still missing with many thought to be dead, while more than 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the conflict.
Efforts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have stalled repeatedly. However, the U.S.- and France-brokered deal for Lebanon appears to be holding after it took effect on Wednesday.
Still, Israel has accused Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, of violating the ceasefire, with Lebanon accusing Israel of the same.
On Saturday, Israel's military said it struck sites that had been used to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon after the ceasefire took effect, which the military called a violation of its terms.
The ceasefire agreement requires Hezbollah militants to withdraw north of the Litani River, while Israel begins a phased withdrawal. However, tension remains high as displaced residents cautiously return to their homes amidst warnings from both militaries.
Update 11/30/24, 5:14 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the IDF.
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