The World Central Kitchen (WCK) announced on its website that it had stopped operations in Gaza on Wednesday, adding that it “no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza”.
“Since Israel closed border crossings in early March, WCK has been unable to replenish the stocks of food that we use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily. In recent weeks, our teams stretched every remaining ingredient and fuel source using creativity and determination. We turned to alternative fuels like wood pallets and olive husk pellets and pivoted away from rice recipes that require more fuel in favor of stews with bread. By constantly adapting over the past weeks, we were cooking 133,000 meals daily at our two remaining WCK Field Kitchens and baking 80,000 loaves of bread each day.Â
The organisation said it is still working in Gaza to supply water to Palestinian families, but that since Israel closed the border crossings, it has been “unable to replenish the stocks of food that use to feed hundreds of thousands of Gazans daily” due to Israel’s blockade on food and water entering the strip.
It said that WCK trucks loaded with food and cooking fuel have been ready at the Gaza crossing since early March and that additional food and equipment were ready to be shipped to the border from Jordan and Egypt.
Last year, seven WCK aid workers were killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip. Israel claimed it targeted WCK’s vehicles because of suspicion that a terrorist was travelling with it.
