Following the Israeli drone strike attack that killed seven of his World Central Kitchen employees, Chef José Andrés stated Israel is committing a “war against humanity itself” in an exclusive interview with “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that their bombing in Gaza on April 1 killed the relief workers after they mistook a WCK worker in the convoy for a Hamas gunman. Israel has been at war with Hamas in Gaza for six months, since the group’s terrorists infiltrated Israel on October 7, killing almost 1,200 people, the majority of whom were civilians, and kidnapping about 250 others.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports at least 1,700 murders and 8,700 injuries. The Gaza Ministry of Health, under the control of Hamas, reports over 33,000 deaths and approximately 76,000 injuries.
Andrés disputed the IDF’s findings on the convoy strike, telling Raddatz, “Every time something happens, we cannot simply bring Hamas into the picture.”
“This is no longer about the seven men and women from World Central Kitchen who lost their lives in this tragic catastrophe.” This is going on for much too long. Andrés stated that he has been targeting anything that appears to move for six months.
“This does not appear to be a battle against terrorists. It no longer appears that this is a fight to defend Israel. At this moment, it appears that we are at war with humanity itself.”
According to WCK, the IDF bombed a convoy of three WCK vehicles on the night of April 1 after leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in central Gaza, where the relief workers had helped unload more than 100 tons of humanitarian aid sent to Gaza via the marine route. According to an ABC News investigation of video footage and satellite data, the cars were spread out over a 1.5-mile radius.
The IDF released its findings on Friday, revealing that they targeted the convoy three times. The report also revealed that while relocating to another vehicle in the convoy, WCK workers injured in the first truck came under attack once more. The IDF agreed that the aid group had properly coordinated their actions with them in advance, but admitted that Israeli officials failed to keep their brigade up to date on the coordinated humanitarian effort.
“The investigation’s results suggest that the incident should not have happened.” Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives rather than WCK employees,” the IDF said, calling the strike “a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the Standard Operating Procedures.”
When asked if he was satisfied with the report’s findings, Andrés complimented the IDF for conducting “such a quick investigation” but advocated for a more thorough, independent one.
“I will say something so complicated; the investigation should be much deeper,” he told reporters. “And I would say that the perpetrator cannot be investigating himself.”
On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters that US authorities are “very carefully” analyzing Israel’s assessment and “will be discussing its conclusions with Israeli officials and humanitarian organizations in the days to come.”
The IDF fired two officers, suspended two commanders, and reprimanded three others for their roles in the attack, according to military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.
“This is a tragedy.” It was a dreadful series of errors that should never have occurred. “The IDF accepts full responsibility for this regrettable loss of life,” Hagari told reporters Friday.
