World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres has accused Israel of “waging a war against humanity” in a passionate interview.
Speaking to Middle East Eye, chef Andres said there were “too many cases” of humanitarians dying in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting militant group Hamas since October last year.
Andres was speaking after seven World Central Kitchen workers – including British nationals James Henderson, 33, James Kirby, 47, and John Chapman, 57 – died in an airstrike on April 1.
Lalzawmi Francom, 43, from Australia, Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25, from Gaza, and Jacob Flickinger, 33, a dual US-Canadian citizen also died in the attack.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chiefs apologised for the attack and said the two armoured aid cars emblazoned with World Central Kitchen (WCK) logos had been “misidentified” as it left a warehouse.
Andres, who founded the WCK in 2010 to help provide food for people affected by war or disasters, has criticised the way Israel is conducting itself during the conflict.
He said: “[There] is way too many cases now of humanitarians dying.
“Many civilians, women, and children, that the only thing they did was trying to get close by to somewhere that they were giving them flour or bread.
“This is not anymore about the seven men and women of World Central Kitchen that perished on this unfortunate event.
“This has been happening way too long, it has been six months of targeting anything that seems to move.
“This doesn’t seem a war against terror. This doesn’t seem anymore about a war about defending Israel.
“This really, at this point, seems a war against humanity itself.
Israel has been widely comdemned for the attacks.
It has since said two senior IDF officers were sacked following the incident with more under investigation.
A spokesman said: “The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.”
The conflict has raged on in Gaza since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people with some 250 taken hostage.
Israel launched its own counterattack afterwards, with the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claiming over 33,000 people have since been killed on the Strip.
