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World Central Kitchen halts Gaza food relief as supplies run out, aid blocked

08.05.2025 16:00
U.S. aid group World Central Kitchen (WCK) said on Thursday it has suspended cooking operations in the Gaza Strip after exhausting stocks and being unable to bring in new shipments because Israel has sealed the borders.
An internally displaced Palestinian woman prepares bread inside Al Yarmouk stadium in central Gaza City, Gaza Strip, May 5, 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced.
An internally displaced Palestinian woman prepares bread inside Al Yarmouk stadium in central Gaza City, Gaza Strip, May 5, 2025. According to the UN, at least 1.9 million people across the Gaza Strip are internally displaced.EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

“After serving more than 130 million meals and 26 million loaves of bread over the past 18 months, WCK no longer has the supplies to cook or bake in Gaza,” the charity wrote on X.

Trucks loaded with food and cooking fuel have been waiting at Gaza’s crossings since early March, with more aid stockpiled in Jordan and Egypt, it added.

WCK, founded by Spanish‑American chef José Andrés, said it would continue to distribute potable water but that large‑scale food deliveries cannot resume until Israel allows entry of relief goods.

Israel tightened an aid blockade in March after a U.S.‑brokered two‑month ceasefire collapsed. It accuses relief agencies of letting supplies fall into the hands of Hamas, which it says diverts food and fuel to its fighters; Hamas denies the charge and says Israel is using starvation as a weapon.

The U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) says more than 2 million people—nearly the entire Gaza population of 2.3 million—now face severe food shortages.

Lootings of community kitchens, merchant warehouses and U.N. facilities have risen sharply, prompting Hamas security forces to hunt local gangs; at least six suspected looters were executed last week, sources close to the group said.

(jh)

Source: Reuters