On Monday, April 3rd, a devastating attack by the IDF left multiple WCK (World Central Kitchen) workers dead. Causing some to have their opinions suddenly swayed over the whole conflict, including our President.
In the process of providing aid to citizens, a group of workers traveling through a deconflicted zone in Gaza were struck down. The group used three separate cars, all of which were found destroyed with “extensive fire damage.” All seven of the workers were found dead. Those seven consisted of Saifeddin Abutaha, Laizawmi Frankcom, Damian Soból, Jacob Flinkinger, John Chapman, James “Jim” Henderson, and James Kirby. Six of the seven were foreign aid workers, while one, Saifeddin Abutaha, was Palestinian. The story quickly spread, and many countries, including the US, found themselves incredibly upset with the event. In response to the event, the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, made a statement where he said that Israeli forces “ . . . unintentionally struck innocent people in the Gaza Strip . .”
However, despite the statements made by the Prime Minister and the military group itself, people were not entirely convinced of the accident. When the cars were found, the WCK logo was plastered on the top of each vehicle. And if the strike were carried out via drones, there would have been a surveillance drone as well, making it questionable whether or not the strikes were accidents after all.
Following the incident, in an interview with Univision Noticias (30:43), President Biden, when asked if he thinks Prime Minister Netanyahu is more concerned about his political survival than the interest of his people, said “I think what he is doing is a mistake . . . what I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next 6-8 weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country . . .” Next stating that he has spoken to many neighboring countries of Palestine and Israel, about bring aid to civilians.
In another instance, in a thirty-minute phone call between President Biden and the Prime Minister, he “made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers.” Urging Israel to change its methods and policies as a result of the incident.
While humanitarian aid networks and systems have been improved in the wake of the incident, a ceasefire is still seemingly far out of reach despite the statement made and the disapproval of many following the death of the WCK workers. And despite the statements made by the President, the United States still vehemently supports Israel and its advances on Palestine, funding their weaponry and supplying them with aid.
So, with the US backing Israel and calls for ceasefires being thrown back and forth, with none ever coming to fruition, what will happen next? With thousands dead, thousands more without proper food and medicine, and with predicted deaths to follow, when will it stop, and how many lives will it take to do so finally?
