World Central Kitchen has paused its operations in Rafah, citing “ongoing attacks” by the Israeli army. The organization has relocated north amid a series of Israeli strikes that resumed Wednesday, May 29. This followed an airstrike on Sunday, May 26, that killed at least 45 civilians sheltering in tents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a “tragic mishap.”
This strike occurred near a designated “safe” zone for Palestinians fleeing military action.
Despite these challenges, the kitchen provided 100,000 meals on Monday, May 27, in Gaza and plans to increase this effort. The group had only recently resumed operations four weeks after an airstrike killed seven of its workers.
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reported that no substantial aid has reached the area since May 6 due to the intense fighting. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, noted that Gaza’s health system has effectively been dismantled, with daily patient deaths due to the ongoing shortages and violence.
The Israel Defense Forces have urged around 100,000 residents to evacuate Rafah in anticipation of a major ground invasion, with about 1 million people already displaced.
