I’m outraged and heartbroken by the deaths of seven humanitarian employees from World Central Kitchen, together with one American, in Gaza yesterday. They had been offering meals to hungry civilians in the midst of a struggle. They had been courageous and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy.

Israel has pledged to conduct a thorough investigation into why the help employees’ autos had been hit by airstrikes. That investigation should be swift, it should carry accountability, and its findings should be made public. 

Much more tragically, this isn’t a stand-alone incident. This battle has been one of many worst in latest reminiscence when it comes to what number of support employees have been killed. This can be a main purpose why distributing humanitarian support in Gaza has been so tough – as a result of Israel has not achieved sufficient to guard support employees making an attempt to ship desperately wanted assist to civilians. Incidents like yesterday’s merely mustn’t occur. Israel has additionally not achieved sufficient to guard civilians. America has repeatedly urged Israel to deconflict their navy operations towards Hamas with humanitarian operations, with the intention to keep away from civilian casualties. 

America will proceed to do all we will to ship humanitarian help to Palestinian civilians in Gaza, by means of all out there means. I’ll proceed to press Israel to do extra to facilitate that support. And we’re pushing laborious for a right away ceasefire as a part of a hostage deal. I’ve a group in Cairo engaged on this proper now.

Earlier immediately, I spoke with my buddy Chef José Andrés, the founding father of World Central Kitchen, to convey my deepest condolences for the deaths of these brave support employees and to specific my continued help for his and his group’s relentless and heroic efforts to get meals to hungry individuals across the globe. 

Might God bless the humanitarian employees killed yesterday and luxury their households and family members of their grief.

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