Celebrity chef and founder of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, José Andrés, paid tribute to his seven employees who were killed during an aid mission in Gaza at a service at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday.
“They sacrificed everything to provide food to people they didn't know and would never encounter,” he stated, describing his employees as the finest examples of humanity. “Their actions should motivate us to improve, to be better.”
The seven aid workers were departing a warehouse in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza after delivering food. They were traveling in a “deconflicted zone” in two armored vehicles when an Israeli airstrike occurred.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted responsibility for the unintended strike, describing it as a “tragic incident,” but also acknowledging that such events occur in war.
Andrés commended each of the employees during an emotional speech at the commemoration. He stated that every innocent life lost is “one too many.”
“Food should never be used as a weapon of war. Humanitarians should never be targeted because they represent the best of us,” he remarked.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff attended the memorial, representing the Biden administration, Politico observed.
Following the strike, President Biden contacted Andrés to express his condolences and issued a statement expressing his “outrage” at the news of the workers’ deaths, which included an American-Canadian dual citizen.
Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) also attended the memorial.
“As José Andrés mentioned, we cannot overlook the suffering of those affected by humanitarian crises, and we can help bring light even in the darkest corners of the world,” Coons shared on the social media platform X.
