An aid worker at World Central Kitchen was seriously injured in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, minutes after seven staff members of the convoy were killed in the attack, the charity said.
According to World Central Kitchen (WCK), on April 1, a Palestinian humanitarian worker named Amro was injured in an air strike on the Deir al-Bashir Mosque in central Gaza for 15 minutes. Later, the aid convoy several miles away came under multiple air strikes. said in a statement.
The strike occurred while he was off duty at a house near the mosque, an area where WCK said its warehouse and new kitchen are located, and he was buried under rubble and suffered serious injuries to his head and hands.
Amuro was taken to hospital where he was in a coma and is now said to be receiving treatment and recovering.
The Israeli attack reportedly came on the same day that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched three consecutive air strikes on three WCK vehicles as they traveled south along the coastal road near Deir al-Balah.
The victims included three Britons, John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47 (James Kirby) as they unloaded 100 tons of food aid shipped to Gaza by sea. They work as part of the charity’s security team.
Other victims include Palestinian Saif Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25; American-Canadian Jacob Flickinger, 33; Australian Queen “Zomi” Frankcom, 43 ; Damian Sobol, 35, from Poland.
The IDF called the attack a “serious mistake” that resulted from “a serious failure due to misidentification, error in decision-making and an attack that violated standard operating procedures.”
According to a statement from WCK: “Amro joined the WCK team at the beginning of this year. His family said he was honored to help and feed people who were suffering like him.
“He loved the feeling of being part of the team. You could always see a smile on his face, especially when he was eating with the kids who loved him immediately.
“He was given the rare opportunity to leave Gaza and go to Egypt several times, but he turned it down. He always said, ‘I’m here every day serving people hot food. I’m not going to leave my job and let them suffer.”
It added: “WCK pays tribute and thanks to Amro, Seif and all Palestinians who are vital to our operations in Gaza for their dedication and sacrifice.”
WCK founder Jose Andres said last week that the organization has been in contact with the Israeli military and coordinating its employees’ operations in Gaza.
“It wasn’t just bad luck, ‘oops’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place,” he said. “Over 1.5 to 1.8 kilometers in total, there’s a very clear humanitarian convoy with signs on the top, on the roof, a very colorful sign.”
He added: “They were targeting a deconfliction zone in an area controlled by the Israel Defense Forces. They knew our team was traveling on that road… with three vehicles,” he said.
The charity suspended aid operations in Gaza after the attack. Gaza has been bombarded since last October when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,100 people. Since then, at least 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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