World Central Kitchen resuming operations in Gaza after killing of 7 workers

World Central Kitchen will be resuming operations in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers earlier this month, the non-profit organization announced Sunday.

The non-profit organization, founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, had paused its operations in Gaza after the strike on April 1. World Central Kitchen (WCK) CEO Erin Gore said in a message that the organization will “continue to get as much food into Gaza, including northern Gaza, as possible.”

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. We are restarting our operation with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible. To date we have distributed more than 43 million meals and we are eager to deliver millions more. Food is a universal right and our work in Gaza has been the most life-saving mission in our 14-year organizational history,” Gore said in the statement.

The organization has 276 trucks that are equivalent to about 8 million meals ready to enter through the Rafah crossing, according to the statement. It also plans to send trucks with meals through Jordan and is looking into how they can deliver food through the Ashdod Port.

Gore also noted that Israel has apologized for the attack that killed their aid workers, saying that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has “changed their rules of operations.” WCK said earlier this month that Israel’s military had taken “important steps” in the wake of the attack but that “systemic change” was needed.

At the time of the attack, WCK also demanded an independent investigation into the attack that killed the workers.

“While we have no concrete assurances, we continue to seek answers and advocate for change with the goal of better protecting WCK and all NGO workers serving selflessly in the worst humanitarian conditions. Our demand for an impartial and international investigation remains,” Gore said in the Sunday statement.

Gore did not give an exact date for when the organization will restart operations but said they will “return soon.”