José Andrés Condemns Israel For Killing Aid Workers: ‘Stop Using Food As A Weapon’

José Andrés, the renowned chef who founded World Central Kitchen, condemned Israeli officials after troops killed seven of his charity’s workers who were delivering food and supplies to starving Palestinians in Gaza ― leading the aid group to pause its desperately needed work in the region.

On Monday evening, Andrés confirmed that WCK lost “several of our sisters and brothers” in the Israeli attack hours earlier. The workers were traveling in a convoy of three cars ― two of which were armored vehicles branded with the charity’s logo on their roofs so Israeli forces would know not to attack them. WCK also said the convoy was driving in a so-called deconflicted zone, and that it had been coordinating movements with the Israeli military.

Despite those safety measures, Israeli troops bombed the convoy as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse, where WCK workers had just delivered more than 100 tons of humanitarian food aid that arrived in Gaza via sea route. According to some reports and geolocation of the area, Israel launched three strikes on the cars in succession.

“I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family,” Andrés wrote of the victims on X, formerly Twitter. “These are people...angels...I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless...they are not nameless.”

Graphic footage at the Al-Aqsa Hospital showed the bodies of the workers, many of whom were wearing protective gear displaying the WCK logo. The victims are from Britain, Poland, Australia, the United States, Canada and Gaza ― a list that includes some of Israel’s closest allies on the world stage. So far, the workers who have been identified include Poland’s Damian