World Central Kitchen says Palestinian team member was killed in Gaza

World Central Kitchen said one of its Palestinian team members was killed in Gaza on Wednesday — about four months after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of its workers.

The nonprofit organization, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, said Nadi Sallout was killed Wednesday near Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The organization described him as an “integral member of our warehouse team from the early days of our response in Rafah and a humanitarian at his very core.” 

World Central Kitchen noted that it is still looking into the incident, but it believes he was off-duty at the time.

“Our thoughts and support are with Nadi’s family and the rest of our dedicated team around the world as we mourn this tremendous loss. We will update our website as we learn more,” World Central Kitchen said in a statement posted on the social platform X.

World Central Kitchen announced it would be resuming its operations in Gaza just weeks after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of its workers April 1. At the time, the organization demanded an independent investigation into the attack that killed the workers.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed responsibility for the “tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip.” The incident prompted global outrage.

World Central Kitchen said in an update posted last week that the situation in Gaza continues to “worsen.” The organization said numerous of its kitchens in the region have had to stop cooking, while others have been cut off from their aid.

“Areas near our kitchens have become the focal point of Israeli military operations. As a result, we can no longer get critical resupplies of ingredients and equipment to several WCK-supported community kitchens,” the organization said in its July 30 update.