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    • Humanitarian

    What lay behind the deaths of 7 World Central Kitchen staff in Gaza

    Devex spoke with 14 former and current staff, all of whom detailed a culture of letting safety slide to the periphery and a tendency to “build the plane while flying it.”

    By Elissa Miolene // 14 April 2025

    Just over a year ago, a World Central Kitchen employee sent an email to those at the organization’s helm. Urgent, his email was titled. Personnel safety concerns.

    It was early March — less than a month before the Israel Defense Forces killed seven of the nonprofit’s staff.

    “I have first hand witnessed this organization disregard safety many times in the past,” wrote Brack Watters, a distribution operations manager who’d deployed with WCK to Ukraine, Turkey, Haiti, and beyond. “I feel it is happening again and on a level that is completely unacceptable.” 

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    More reading:

    ► José Andrés demands answers at memorial for World Central Kitchen staff

    ► Why ‘boots on the ground’ are key to food aid, according to José Andrés

    ► Gaza aid workers say there are 'no aid operations in the field'

    • Democracy, Human Rights & Governance
    • Humanitarian Aid
    • Institutional Development
    • Social/Inclusive Development
    • World Central Kitchen
    • Gaza, West Bank
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    About the author

    • Elissa Miolene

      Elissa Miolene

      Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.

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