José Andrés says aid worker deaths are ‘unforgivable’

Renowned chef José Andrés, founder of the food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), said the deaths of several aid workers last week in Gaza is “unforgivable” and called on Israel to improve its military communications and do more to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers.

“It is unforgivable. I will have to live with this the rest of my life. We all will have to live with this for the rest of our lives,” Andrés said Sunday.

Six workers with the World Central Kitchen and their Palestinian driver were killed last Monday as they were leaving a warehouse in central Gaza. The workers were in a “deconflicted zone” in two armored and labeled cars when the strike hit, World Central Kitchen said.

The Israeli military released a preliminary investigation last week that found the military mistakenly thought the convoy carrying the workers were armed Hamas fighters. The charity said it previously communicated the group’s movements to the military.

The Israeli military dismissed two officers and reprimanded others involved, it said last week.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said the Israeli military will do everything to make sure nothing like that happens again.

Asked if he believes Netanyahu, Andrés said, “It’s a first step.”

“We know that leaders of the world and politicians … they give speeches that they never follow,” he added. “These declarations of intentions need to go alongside with real change of the people with boots on the ground.

In its investigation, the Israeli military said it could not see the WCK logo on top of the vehicle at night.

Pressed over whether he “buys” this explanation, Andrés said, “Obviously, I would like to see high quality of the video, high quality of the images.

“I’m very sure that probably, those logos were visible, they were white cars, that logo is very colorful. Even in a dark night, I guarantee you that those rooms could be seen.”

He said he was thankful to the Israeli military for quickly investigating the incident but called for a deeper, more independent probe.

“I will say something — so complicated — the investigation should be much more deeper,” Andrés said. “And I would say that the perpetrator cannot be investigating himself.”

The war between Israel and Hamas — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — has raged on for nearly six months following the group’s surprise incursion in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Hamas’s attacks killed more than 1,100 people in Israel, while around 250 others were taken hostage. 

Around 100 of these hostages were returned in a weeklong cease-fire late last year, and an estimated 100 others are believed to still be alive in Gaza. 

Israel’s military campaign to destroy Hamas has killed more than 32,700 people in Gaza since early October, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.