Seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike on 1 April 2024 after delivering food aid to Gaza, in an operation the Israeli army had helped plan, according to a Guardian investigation.
Key facts
- Seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed on 1 April 2024.
- The Israeli army had helped plan the food aid delivery, according to the Guardian.
- The aid was delivered by boat from Cyprus to a makeshift jetty built from sand and rubble.
- Israel's closure of land crossings had left Gaza facing the threat of famine.
- The war had been raging for six months at the time of the strike.
On the evening of 1 April 2024, a team of aid workers from World Central Kitchen (WCK) stood on Gaza’s Mediterranean shore overseeing the unloading of a barge full of desperately needed food, according to the Guardian. The delivery landed on a makeshift jetty made of sand and rubble, constructed to receive humanitarian assistance shipped by boat from Cyprus.
The Guardian reports that the Israeli army had helped plan the food aid delivery, but that the operation went wrong from the beginning and ultimately ended in seven deaths. The outlet describes the events as the subject of an exclusive investigation into why seven international aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
At the time of the strike, the Gaza war had been raging for six months. Israel’s closure of land crossings had left the whole territory facing the threat of famine, the Guardian reports, prompting efforts to bring in food through alternative routes such as maritime delivery.
WCK and local Palestinian contractors had constructed the jetty out of everything they could find, including debris from the bombed house of one of the contractors, so that pallets of humanitarian assistance could be brought ashore. The improvised infrastructure underscored the difficulty of delivering aid amid the closure of established crossings.
The Guardian’s account frames the incident on the road to Rafah as a case study in how a coordinated aid delivery ended in disaster, with the deaths of the seven workers drawing international attention to the risks faced by humanitarian personnel operating in Gaza.
Why it matters
The killing of aid workers coordinating a delivery that had reportedly been planned with the Israeli army raises serious questions about the safety of humanitarian operations in conflict zones. With Gaza facing the threat of famine, the incident highlights the dangers involved in efforts to feed a population cut off by the closure of land crossings.
Frequently asked questions
How many aid workers were killed in the strike?
Seven international aid workers from World Central Kitchen were killed in the Israeli airstrike on 1 April 2024, according to the Guardian.
Was the aid delivery coordinated with Israel?
According to the Guardian, the Israeli army had helped plan the food aid delivery, though the operation went wrong from the beginning and ended in seven deaths.
Why was aid being delivered by boat?
Israel's closure of land crossings had left Gaza facing the threat of famine, so aid was shipped by boat from Cyprus to a makeshift jetty built from sand and rubble, the Guardian reports.