Israeli strike kills five World Central Kitchen charity workers in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed five people including employees of World Central Kitchen.
The charity said it was “urgently seeking more details” after Israel’s military said it targeted someone who took part in last year’s October 7 attacks.
In an email, WCK said it was “heartbroken” and had no knowledge any worker in the car with Hamas.
The group was pausing operations in Gaza, saying it was “working with incomplete information”.
Aid delivery efforts were temporarily suspended earlier this year after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers, most of them foreigners.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military said the alleged October 7 attacker had worked with WCK and it asked “senior officials from the international community and the WCK administration to clarify” how that had come about.
The strike occurred in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Palestinian state-run news agency Wafa.
Pictures circulating on social media showed a white saloon car by the side of a road, partially burned-out and with its roof caved in.
Video filmed inside a mortuary also showed a number of charred possessions - including a laptop, clothing, and and ID badge - bearing the WCK logo.
The violence in Gaza raged even as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to be holding, despite sporadic episodes that have tested its fragility. Israel on Saturday struck what it said were Hezbollah weapons smuggling sites along Syria’s border with Lebanon.
WCK provides meals to people in need following natural disasters or to those enduring conflict. Its teams have often served as a lifeline for people in Gaza who have struggled to feed themselves.