World Central Kitchen halts its operations in Rafah due to 'ongoing attacks'

The World Central Kitchen nonprofit, which provides meals in war-torn Gaza, said it had stopped its operations in the Palestinian territory's southern city of Rafah due to "ongoing attacks" in the area.

The US-based charity was founded by celebrity Spanish-American chef Jose Andres to provide food to communities facing humanitarian crises and disasters.

"In the face of Israeli operations in Rafah, countless families are being forced to flee once again," the charity said on social media platform X late on Tuesday.

"Ongoing attacks have forced us to pause work at our main kitchen in Rafah and relocate many of our community kitchens further north."

The charity had recently resumed its work in Gaza after suspending operations in April following the killing of seven of its workers in three air strikes by an Israeli drone.

The deaths of an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian, and a Pole had triggered a global outrage over Israel's military operations.

An internal Israeli military inquiry found that the drone team had made an "operational misjudgment" after spotting a suspected Hamas gunman shooting from the top of an aid truck.

AFP