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The World Central Kitchen organization suspended its humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip after 7 of its employees were killed in an Israeli bombing, and returned an aid shipment to Cyprus without distributing it, which sparked interaction on social media platforms.

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The World Central Kitchen organization, in cooperation with the Spanish Open Arms Association, sent two shipments of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, via the sea corridor from Cyprus. The first arrived in mid-March and was distributed in Gaza.

While the second shipment arrived a few days ago, carrying 340 tons of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians, which means more than a million meals were to be provided to those threatened by the specter of famine, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.

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However, this shipment returned again to Cyprus due to the organization’s suspension of its operations in the Gaza Strip, and video scenes showed the Spanish Open Arms organization’s ships anchoring off the Cypriot port of Larnaca after returning from the Gaza Strip without distributing aid.

The Shabakat program (4/4/2024) monitored some of the tweeters’ comments about the organization suspending its aid and returning the aid without distributing it, including Domb’s comment: “The goal is clear: to let the Palestinians die of hunger, and whoever tries to save them will suffer the fate of the World Kitchen employees.”

While the observer tweeted, “One of the reasons for the Israeli attack on aid workers was because it was a large aid ship carrying 237 tons of aid on its way to Gaza, but after the Israeli terrorist attack, the ship returned to Cyprus.”

Help for the occupation

As for the account bearing the name “Spirit of Sultans,” he considered that the return of aid amounts to “helping the occupation in implementing its agenda to continue its terrorist actions by starving civilians in Gaza. Those in charge must make the decision and be alert to the outcome of their decisions so that they do not become a tool in the hands of the occupation instead of confronting it and holding it accountable for its aggression.”

An account called Cosmo also said, “This is what is required,” adding in his tweet, “Israeli criminals targeted the World Kitchen van to kill relief workers for this goal, which is to stop the work of delivering food to the hungry people trapped in Gaza and return relief ships loaded with food to Cyprus.”

The World Kitchen organization was very active in the north, where employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were not allowed access.

Warning of the consequences of the kitchen stopping its operations in Gaza, UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said: “Civilians were greatly affected by the cessation of the work of the international kitchen, especially in the north, and the only solution is to allow UNRWA to enter the northern Gaza Strip to rescue the citizens who were relying mainly on the kitchen for their food.” ".

In turn, the American New York Times said that the Israeli attack on World Central Kitchen employees hindered attempts to address the hunger crisis in the Strip.

He continued, explaining, "Relief organizations have become more cautious about delivering aid, and at least two aid delivery operations have already been stopped, which means that the situation of people, especially in the northern Gaza Strip, will be worse after this incident."