World Central Kitchen Resumes Gaza Operations

Latest Developments

Aid organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) resumed operations in Gaza this week, providing 200,000 meals to Palestinians in Gaza on April 30. The aid organization had suspended operations in Gaza after seven WCK workers were killed on April 1, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had mistakenly struck a WCK convoy after wrongly determining the vehicles transported Hamas terrorists. WCK, a non-governmental organization that provides food relief in crisis zones worldwide, announced on April 28 that it would return to Gaza “with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible.”

Founded by Spanish-American celebrity chef Jose Andres, WCK has been preparing and providing donated food for Gazans by land and sea with Israel’s approval. To date, WCK has served more than 43 million meals in Gaza. The organization said on April 30 that “276 WCK trucks are ready to enter through Rafah with enough food for 8 million meals,” and WCK is “also sending trucks north.”

Expert Analysis

“The return of the World Central Kitchen to Gaza is a hopeful development. It demonstrates that the organization has confidence that the IDF has implemented sufficient changes to protect its staff. Having this and other international organizations in Gaza that have not been co-opted by Hamas is critical.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“The work by WCK to feed needy Palestinians is a noble effort. By increasing the amount of aid going into Gaza, Israel is not only assisting those in need but also meeting the requests of the Biden administration, which has set clear expectations in terms of the next steps in the war, particularly focusing on the elimination of Hamas in Rafah.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Israel Investigates WCK Strike

On April 5, the IDF released the results of its investigation into the WCK strike, concluding that the incident was “a grave mistake.” The IDF said its forces had spotted a gunman aboard at least one of the aid trucks and mistakenly assumed that Hamas terrorists were in accompanying vehicles. Israeli forces also failed to identify the vehicles as associated with the WCK. “The strikes on the three vehicles were carried out in serious violation of the commands and IDF Standard Operating Procedure,” the IDF statement said. The IDF subsequently dismissed two officers and “formally reprimanded” other commanders involved in the incident. “The IDF will learn the lessons of the incident and will incorporate them into the IDF’s ongoing operations,” the statement concluded.

Humanitarian Aid ‘Surging’ Into Gaza

Israel facilitated the entry of 351 aid trucks into Gaza on April 30, including 21 food trucks from WCK. Additionally, more than 10,000 meals were airdropped over northern Gaza. “We’ve said it all along: Israel is surging humanitarian aid into Gaza,” Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said on May 1. In April, an average of 271 aid trucks entered Gaza every day, up from the daily average of 191 trucks in March.

Related Analysis

“What the World Central Kitchen Strike Tells Us About Israel — And Its Enemies,” by Bradley Bowman and Mike Daum

“Two IDF Officers Dismissed Over Aid Convoy Tragedy,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Increases Humanitarian Aid Transfers to Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief