GAZA, (PIC)
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights stated that the Israeli occupation army’s targeting of the World Central Kitchen team in southern Gaza is a continuation of starvation policy pursued by Israel as part of the genocidal war against the Palestinians in Gaza Strip.
In a statement on Saturday, the Center condemned in the strongest terms the bombing of a vehicle belonging to the World Central Kitchen organization in Khan Yunis, which resulted in the martyrdom of five Palestinians, including three workers for the World Kitchen. Following the bombing, the World Kitchen announced the suspension of its operations in Gaza.
This marks the second time that the occupation forces have targeted the World Central Kitchen team. Previously, a vehicle was attacked on April 1, 2024, in central Gaza, resulting in the martyrdom of seven of its members, including six foreign nationals, prompting the organization to halt its operations in Gaza temporarily.
The Center expressed concerns that the bombing is part of the Israeli occupation’s strategy to institutionalize starvation and impose restrictions on the delivery of aid and food supplies, including limiting the work of international relief organizations, furthering the genocide against the Palestinian people.
According to the statement, an Israeli drone fired a missile on Saturday morning at a white jeep traveling north on Salah al-Din street near the al-Abara street in northern Khan Yunis. The attack resulted in the death of three Palestinians who were in the jeep, later identified as World Central Kitchen workers. Several residents and farmers who were east of the road rushed to the jeep to assist those inside, prompting the occupation aircraft to fire a second missile, resulting in the death of two of them and injuries to others, with one reported in critical condition. The martyrs included civilians who attempted to help.
In the aftermath of the bombing, the Kitchen announced the suspension of its activities in Gaza, stating, “We regret to share that a vehicle carrying colleagues from the World Central Kitchen was subjected to an Israeli airstrike in Gaza.”
The human rights center noted that the bombing of the vehicle and the resulting suspension of the World Kitchen’s work come at a time when southern Gaza is suffering from widespread hunger due to the Israeli policies that obstruct aid delivery and prevent official coordination for goods, leading to flour shortages in markets and skyrocketing prices.
It warned that due to the flour shortage and its non-distribution, thousands are gathering near the few bakeries that remain operational. The center reported that this crowding and pushing resulted in the death of a woman and two children on the morning of November 29, 2024, due to suffocation amid the congestion and crowding of thousands of citizens outside the al-Banna automated bakery, supported by the World Food Program on Akila Street in Deir al-Balah, in the central governorate, as they sought to obtain a loaf of bread. Several others also suffered from severe suffocation.
The center warned that the suspension of the World Kitchen’s operations would deprive thousands of families who relied on its meals, exacerbating the hunger crisis.
It pointed out that the occupation army prevents the entry of food supplies in sufficient quantities, and even when limited amounts do enter, it provides protection to groups of thieves who steal and resell them at inflated prices. If limited quantities enter, the UNRWA is prevented from distributing them to those in need, and if they are stored, they are bombed, with workers from international organizations securing food supplies being targeted. This reflects the complex mentality of the occupation, which uses starvation as part of the genocide.
The center confirmed that the continuation of such disgraceful attacks is a natural result of the impunity enjoyed by Israel and the double standards applied by the international community towards the Israeli occupation, which overlooks the most serious crime committed by the occupation: genocide.
The center called on the international community not to be content with issuing statements condemning the illegal Israeli military attacks and their resulting killings of humanitarian team members and civilians, but to take immediate practical steps to compel Israel, the occupying power, to cease fire and ensure accountability for the genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza.
It also urged the international community and all United Nations institutions to make a genuine and effective effort to ensure the provision of food, medical assistance, and safe drinking water to the population through mechanisms that guarantee their lives and dignity.
