Three Volunteers from José Andrés' NGO Killed in Israeli Attack in Gaza

At least five Palestinian volunteers, including three workers from the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), were killed on Saturday as a result of an Israeli attack in the city of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where regular clashes occur between the army and Hamas militants. The vehicle they were traveling in was hit by a missile fired from a drone, in a confusing incident following an alleged attempt by bandits to seize a humanitarian aid convoy.

The SUV was marked with the logo of the NGO belonging to Spanish chef José Andrés. The organization, which focuses on cooking and distributing food among the beleaguered population of Gaza, experienced a similar incident last April when seven employees were killed in another attack by the Defence Forces.

The lethal action took place on the Salah al Din road, northeast of Khan Yunis. It appears that the military fired a missile at the rear of one of the trailers and then targeted the NGO's SUV. According to initial reports, the truck was being assaulted by a group of bandits, as it is not uncommon on this route for goods to be stolen by smugglers and criminals to sell at high prices.

The same account suggests that the volunteers approached intending to help after the explosion, but another drone strike hit their vehicle and destroyed it. Among the deceased were the head of community kitchens in the large refugee camp and one of the supply managers of World Central Kitchen.

The Islamists in Gaza have condemned the attack as a 'repeated crime' against relief associations and those distributing meals, linked 'with the goals of the extermination war' and the intent to 'deprive' the 'besieged population' of the ability to 'obtain food, water, and medicine.'

For its part, the army did not mention the presence of bandits in its version. It explained that the operation was in pursuit of a Hamas terrorist involved in the October 7 massacre and had been 'under Intelligence surveillance for a long period.' According to the official version, the military had obtained 'reliable information about his location in real-time.' Although they do not specify if he was traveling in the SUV, the military claims there is an ongoing investigation into whether the suspect may have infiltrated as a volunteer in the NGO. Contrary to witness testimony, the Israeli army detailed that the vehicle was 'civilian without markings and its movement on the route was not coordinated for aid transport.'

This is not the first time World Central Kitchen has been attacked. Seven workers died on April 2 after Israeli forces fired three missiles at a humanitarian convoy as it left a supply warehouse in Deir al Balah. José Andrés' NGO had communicated its program and route to the army, which nevertheless destroyed two vehicles of the convoy without any concession. Later, the Defence Forces admitted their 'mistake' under the argument that they suspected two Hamas militants were in one of the SUVs. Two officers were dismissed for violating the rules of war and 'mismanaging the information they had received.'

After that crime, the NGO withdrew for a month while debating whether to end its operations in Gaza or continue them, knowing that its cooperators were in a very grave risk situation and under 'intimidation' as they had not received guarantees from the Defence Forces to modify their protocols to prevent further killings.

During the year-long war, the organization has distributed millions of rations. Last August, another volunteer died in Deir al-Balah following an airstrike. In a recent interview with a Mexican media outlet, the famous Spanish chef evaluated the conflict in the Strip with the following words: 'War makes no sense. It makes no sense for a leader to make millions of Palestinians pay for the terrorist attack of a few.'