Seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers were killed by an Israeli attack in Gaza. They were delivering aid when their convoy was hit.

Chef Jose Andres, founder of the WCK charity group, said he had communication with the Israeli military, and that they knew the aid workers’ locale. Some of the workers killed included Lalzawmi Frankcom of Australia and manager of the WCK, Saif Abu Taha, a Gazan working as a driver and translator for the WCK and Damian Sobol from Poland. 

This attack has sparked international outrage and emphasized the danger for not only innocent civilians, but also humanitarian workers in the region.

In an interview with Reuters, Andres was emotional as he discussed the attack. He said his aid workers were targeted, “systematically, car by car.

“This was not just a bad luck situation where ‘oops’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place,” he said.

Andres said he initially discovered the attack occurred when he lost contact with his team in Gaza. He said he was unaware of the killings until he saw pictures of their bodies. 

He said that after the IDF attacked the first armored car, the team was able to escape and move to a second car, which was then attacked, forcing them to move to the third car that was also hit, killing them. Their convoy was hit after unloading 100 tons of food in Gaza at a warehouse in Deir al Balah, located in central Gaza. 

“This was over a 1.5, 1.8 kilometers, with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colorful logo that we are obviously very proud of,” Andres said. It’s “very clear who we are and what we do.”

According to Andres, the IDF knew the movements of the convoy. He sought investigations by the U.S. government as well as the native country of each aid worker who was killed. The aid workers killed were citizens of America, Australia and Britain. 

“They were targeting us in a deconflicting zone, in an area controlled by IDF,” he said. “They knowing that it was our teams moving on that road… with three cars.”

According to Reuters, “Israel’s military expressed “severe sorrow” over the incident and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it unintentional.”

Netanyahu released a video statement acknowledging the Israeli military’s fault, saying that it was unintentional and a matter of “misidentification.”

“Unfortunately, in the last day there was a tragic case of our forces unintentionally hitting innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu said. “It happens in war, we are fully examining this, we are in contact with the governments and we will do everything so that this thing does not happen again.”

Various leaders of several of the home countries of the workers killed have also shared statements of their own.

“I am outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen,” President Biden said on social media. “Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians. Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.”

 The British foreign secretary, David Cameron, also took his indignation to social media stating that the deaths are “completely unacceptable” and “deeply distressing,” adding, “Israel must urgently explain how this happened and make major changes to ensure safety of aid words on the ground.”

According to The New York Times, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia also said to reporters,“ We want full accountability for this, because this is a tragedy that should never have occurred.

“The truth is that this is beyond any reasonable circumstances.”

It’s very complicated to understand… America is going to be sending its Navy and its military to do humanitarian work, but at the same time weapons provided by America… are killing civilians.

  — Chef Jose Andres, founder of World Central Kitchen

Reuters also reported that Andres refused Israel’s and the U.S.’ claims that the strike was not intentional.

“Even if we were not in coordination with the (Israel Defense Forces), no democratic country and no military can be targeting civilians and humanitarians,” he said.

Andres shared that he was also supposed to be there, but could not make it to Gaza at this time. 

“The U.S. must do more to tell Prime Minister Netanyahu this war needs to end now,” he said. He questioned Biden administration moves to supply aid in Gaza while also arming Israel.

“It’s very complicated to understand… America is going to be sending its Navy and its military to do humanitarian work, but at the same time weapons provided by America… are killing civilians,” he said.