Israel's recent attack on a World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy in the Gaza Strip has ignited a firestorm of debate and concern regarding the safety and efficacy of humanitarian operations in the enclave amid escalating tensions.
On Tuesday, the US-based food charity, World Central Kitchen (WCK), confirmed that seven of its humanitarian aid workers were killed in an Israeli strike late Monday.
The workers were nationals of Australia, Poland, the UK and Palestine as well as a US-Canadian dual citizen.
Arlan Fuller, the director of emergency response and preparedness at Project HOPE, an international global health and humanitarian aid organization, provided insights to Anadolu about the attack and shed light on the challenges faced by aid organizations in the besieged Palestinian territory.
When asked an investigation showed that three vehicles were targeted in three separate strikes, with the first and last nearly 1 mile apart, he said: “Well, as you said, the investigation is ongoing. And but this definitely raises a lot of concern from our organization as a member of the humanitarian community.”
“We do know that World Central Kitchen had gone through the proper processes to deconflict their convoy -- meaning they notified the Israeli government of their movement, and they marked their vehicles,” said Fuller. “So they did everything appropriate that a humanitarian group should be doing to transport desperately needed food to its receiving location.”
“It does raise a lot of questions as to the effectiveness of the deconfliction mechanism. And this is something that is not a new question for any of us in the humanitarian community,” he said.
Underlining that it is not the first time a location that had been deconflicted had been struck by Israel, Fuller said: “This is something that we are very concerned about ... because first and foremost, as we all understand, humanitarian actors are neutral in this conflict and we should not be at any point in time feeling that there's a risk of being targeted by one armed group or another, but in this case, the IDF.”
Coordination with Israeli army
The Israeli army called the attack a case of misidentification, however, WCK said it had coordinated its movements with the military.
Fuller outlined protocols followed by humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza.
“What every organization does as it moves in a case of like a convoy like this, and for us, when our teams move from different locations to other areas within south Gaza -- you notify the coordinating and liaison body that sits within or sort of in collaboration with COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) that the coordinating body for the occupied territories that sits within IDF. So there is a close relationship between these administrative agencies and the IDF itself,” said Fuller.
He emphasized that notifications entail providing details such as personnel, vehicles, routes and GPS locations of humanitarian facilities like clinics, warehouses and staff accommodations.
“So that is a clear notification to the IDF through COGAT to be able to say these are off limits, these are neutral parties, humanitarian actors or humanitarian convoys going through a de-conflicted route to be in one place to another,” he said. “On top of that, even visually speaking, which also raises questions from our side, the World Central Kitchen vehicles were very clearly marked, even one that we saw that had the logo on the roof. So, understanding how this could have occurred is something that everyone is waiting for answers on and will be certainly attentive to until we do.”
No guarantees of safety
“We are currently managing three different clinics in South Gaza, providing basic primary care emergency services and then referrals on to hospitals in the area to provide secondary and tertiary care,” said Fuller.
“We also are doing rotations of surgical teams to different hospitals in South Gaza specifically the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir al-Balah. And we also are doing a number of programs with local partners on mental health and psychosocial support for so many of the displaced communities in Gaza and providing opportunities to get shipments into the area for everything from medical equipment medicines, pharmaceuticals and other non-food items like blankets and mattresses for all the shelters that are being operated,” he added.
After the World Central Kitchen attack, some humanitarian aid organizations, including Project HOPE, temporarily suspended operations in Gaza to assess the security situation.
“We certainly did take three days in which we did pause our operations," he disclosed. “On Saturday, our teams will be operating again in the various medical locations in which we're currently operating in south Gaza.”
“When an incident like this occurs, it is something that is definitely very difficult for all of our staff ... (and shows) that there are no guarantees of the safety and security of our actors,” he stated.
Call for cease-fire
Despite the challenges, Fuller commended the dedication and resilience of members of Project Hope.
“We also understand that from our team that they are eager to get back to work. They understand that the medical needs in Gaza are immense. And that this is a humanitarian crisis that they are committed to in responding to those in need,” he said, “They are an inspiration to all of us within the organization that they even under these circumstances, are ready to continue working and helping people.”
Fuller reiterated the need for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“The only way that we can 100% guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers is to see a cease-fire,” he said.
According to its website, Project HOPE, since 1958, has "equipped health care workers around the world to provide world-class care in their communities and respond to urgent health crises when they arise."
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