Cyprus impact of aid workers’ deaths in Gaza unclear

Following news of the arrival of three humanitarian aid ships from Cyprus to the Gaza coast, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Tuesday morning said that humanitarian aid is being collected and “as soon as conditions permit”, the third shipment will be sent via the Amalthea initiative.

Weather conditions had slowed delivery.

The spokesman’s statement came despite news that World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers participating in the humanitarian programme out of Cyprus had been killed by an Israeli bomb attack.

Seven workers of the non-governmental organisation (WCK) were killed on Monday, in an Israeli airstrike on their vehicle the American NGO announced on Tuesday, raising the number of dead from the initially confirmed five.

The NGO has meanwhile said it is suspending its activities in the region. What impact this has on the Cyprus leg of the aid effort remains to be seen.

“World Central Kitchen is devastated to confirm that seven members of our team have been killed in an IDF strike in Gaza,” the US-based NGO said.

“The WCK team was travelling in a deconflicted zone in two armoured cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle,” WCK said.

According to the statement, the workers were from Australia, Poland, Britain, one had dual US-Canadian citizenship and one was Palestinian.

Despite the fact that WCK was acting in coordination with the Israeli armed forces, its convoy was hit as it was leaving a depot in the Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Bala after unloading more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the enclaved Palestinians.

“This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organisations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said CEO Erin Gore.

“[We] lost beautiful lives today because of a targeted attack by the IDF. The love they had for feeding people, the determination they embodied to show that humanity rises above all, and the impact they made in countless lives will forever be remembered and cherished,” Gore added.

For his part, WCK founder, chef Jose Andres, said in a post on X that he mourned for the families and friends of the dead.

“I am heartbroken and grieving […] These are people…angels […] they are not faceless…they are not nameless,” he said.

“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing. It needs to stop restricting humanitarian aid, stop killing civilians and aid workers, and stop using food as a weapon. No more innocent lives lost. Peace starts with our shared humanity. It needs to start now.”

WCK announced that it was suspending its operations in the region and that it would soon make decisions as to its future moves.