The not-for-profit organization, founded by the Spanish American chef, aims to alleviate hunger and provide meals in regions of conflict.
On April 1, Andrés posted a statement regarding the deaths on his account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“I am heartbroken and grieving for their families and friends and our whole WCK family,” his post reads. “These are people…angels…I served alongside in Ukraine, Gaza, Turkey, Morocco, Bahamas, Indonesia. They are not faceless…they are not nameless.”
World Central Kitchen says it acknowledges the reports that staff members had been killed but has not confirmed the victims’ identities.
In a statement posted to Instagram, World Central Kitchen wrote, “We are aware of reports that members of the World Central Kitchen team have been killed in an IDF attack while working to support our humanitarian food delivery efforts in Gaza. This is a tragedy. Humanitarian aid workers and civilians should NEVER be a target. EVER. We will share more information when we have gathered all the facts.”
According to NBC News, Hamas claimed that foreign workers were among those killed. NBC’s Gaza team observed victims with foreign passports and WCK emblems being taken to a hospital in the area.
“The Israeli government needs to stop this indiscriminate killing,” his post continued. “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.”
Israel Defense Forces, the national military of the State of Israel, also known as IDF, addressed the deaths according to a statement obtained by NBC News, noting that it would conduct an evaluation.
“Following the reports regarding the World Central Kitchen personnel in Gaza today, the IDF is conducting a thorough review at the highest levels to understand the circumstances of this tragic incident,” the IDF’s statement reads.
The military force’s statement went on to describe its objectives in Gaza.
“The IDF makes extensive efforts to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid and has been working closely with WCK in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com