How Israel's Gaza aid convoy attack brings Palestinians closer to famine
World Central Kitchen and American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) were the two largest NGOs providing hot meals to starving Palestinians. But Israel's attack on Monday forced them to suspend their work.
Since the beginning of the 7 October war, WCK has provided at least 43 million meals to Palestinians in Gaza through aid delivered by land, sea and air.
It announced the suspension of its work after the killing of its entire operations team in Gaza in three Israeli air strikes on Monday.
On Tuesday, Anera, one of the largest and longest-established aid groups operating in Gaza, announced that it was also pausing its work, as it was no longer feasible for its staff to deliver aid without significant risk to their safety.
From its seven community kitchens in Rafah, Khan Younis, the centre of Gaza, and Jabalia in the north, Anera provided over 22 million meals to families in Gaza prior to 1 April, said Liz Demarest, Anera’s vice president of communications.
“For many, our kitchens were their sole source of sustenance,” Demarest told Middle East Eye.
“We recognise that pausing our operations, along with other organisations, will create critical gaps in relief efforts, particularly in the north, where they are facing famine,” she said. “The ultimate responsibility to prevent starvation in Gaza lies with Israel.”
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