World Central Kitchen workers killed by Israeli airstrike, Gaza health ministry says

An Israeli airstrike hit a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing five people, including at least three workers with the charity World Central Kitchen, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Israel’s military in a statement that it was targeting a militant who allegedly took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel last year. The Israeli military said the attacker had worked with World Central Kitchen and it called on the aid group to investigate its employees in Gaza.

The World Central Kitchen said in a statement that it was “heartbroken” by the news of the strike in Khan Younis and that it was “urgently seeking more details.”

The charity said it had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the Oct. 7 attack. World Central Kitchen said it is temporarily pausing operations in Gaza.

The U.S.-based organization, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés and his wife Patricia in 2010, delivers food to people on the front lines of natural and humanitarian disasters.

In April, the charity paused its aid work in Gaza after seven of its workers were killed by an Israeli strike. The organization returned to the region to resume operations a few weeks later. Israel said the strike targeting the aid workers was a mistake.

Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people. Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza’s health ministry.

Israeli border restrictions and ongoing military conflict have limited the amount of aid able to get to Gaza — aid shipments in September reached their lowest level since the war began. Over 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, where food is scarce, according to the World Food Programme, as humanitarian experts warn that northern Gaza is on the brink of famine.