DaysofPal- The US-based humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen (WCK) has announced the suspension of its operations in the Gaza Strip, citing a depletion of supplies and continued obstruction by Israeli authorities that has prevented the entry of humanitarian aid.
“After serving more than 130 million total meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, World Central Kitchen no longer has the supplies to cook meals or bake bread in Gaza,” the charity stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
WCK, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, has been a vital source of food for Palestinians in Gaza throughout the conflict. However, the charity now finds itself unable to sustain its operations due to a total lack of essential supplies. Although it plans to continue providing potable water “where possible,” it emphasized that food distribution cannot resume “until Israel allows aid back into the coastal enclave.”
“WCK trucks loaded with food and cooking fuel have been ready at the Gaza border since early March. Additional food and equipment are ready to be shipped to the border from Jordan and Egypt,” the organization noted.
WCK had adjusted by using alternative fuels, like wood, for cooking in an attempt to get around the severe fuel shortage. It stopped preparing rice dishes, which require more cooking time and fuel, and instead focused on producing vegetable meals accompanied by bread, solutions that are more fuel-efficient.
Despite these adaptive efforts, the organization said it had reached its operational limit. “Through a process of continuous adaptation over the past weeks, it has been cooking 133,000 meals a day in the two remaining field kitchens in the Strip and baking 80,000 loaves of bread a day,” WCK explained.
Yet, with supplies now exhausted, the charity declared that its capacity had been maxed out. “We have run out of flour and food ingredients to cook meals.”
The charity further highlighted the dire situation across Gaza: “More than 80% of local kitchens in Gaza have run out of supplies. Without ingredients and fuel, these kitchens cannot feed the families that depend on them.”
The crisis in Gaza has been deepening under the weight of an ongoing Israeli blockade. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the food situation has become alarming.
“Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians eat only one meal every two or three days,” the agency reported. The situation is particularly dire for children. “More than 66,000 children in Gaza are suffering from severe malnutrition,” said UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna in an interview with Al-Ghad satellite channel.
On April 25, the United Nations World Food Program also announced that its food reserves in Gaza had been depleted.
Despite increasing warnings from international relief agencies and humanitarian organizations, Israel continues to restrict the flow of basic necessities, food, fuel, and medical supplies into Gaza. The continued blockade, aid groups warn, is driving the population toward a “widespread humanitarian catastrophe.”
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