WCK attack wasn’t the first. Israel has hit aid groups for months

World Central Kitchen (WCK), the charity that was trying to feed starving civilians in Gaza, has temporarily suspended its operations after the Israeli military killed seven of its workers in airstrikes.

WCK had informed the Israeli military about the movement of its workers on a Gaza road frequented by humanitarian groups. Yet they were targeted in multiple missile strikes carried out by an Israeli drone.

The incident has led a global outcry and put pressure on Tel Aviv to move towards a ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the military had “unintentionally” struck the vehicles.

However, it's not difficult to believe that the targeting was deliberate, given that this is not an isolated incident, nor the first instance of Israeli forces attacking humanitarian aid workers in the besieged enclave, which has been dependent on humanitarian aid since 2007.

Deadliest time for humanitarians

As of 20th March, at least 196 humanitarian workers have been killed in the occupied Palestinian territories since October 2023, the UN said.

“This represents nearly three times the death toll recorded in any single conflict within a year,” said Jamie McGoldrick, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).

On November 3, 2023, less than a month after Israel's brutal war on Gaza began, the IDF bombed a convoy of ambulances near the largest hospital in Gaza, killing 15 people and leaving at least 60 civilians wounded.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) stated that the convoy of five ambulances attempted to transport casualties toward the Rafah border crossing but had to return to the hospital because the road was blocked with rubble.

It was at this point that the convoy was targeted by two missiles.

Israel later admitted to attacking the ambulance, claiming it was allegedly being used by Hamas militants.

The director of the Al Quds hospital, however, told Human Rights Watch that the Israeli military provided no warning prior to the strike.

Deliberate attacks

On November 7, a medical convoy operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross was attacked in Gaza City, resulting in minor injuries to a driver and causing damage to two trucks, as reported by the aid group.

The convoy, consisting of five trucks and two ICRC vehicles, was transporting vital medical supplies to healthcare facilities, including Al Quds Hospital. After the incident, the convoy adjusted its route and proceeded to Al Shifa Hospital, where it delivered the medical supplies.

On November 18, a convoy from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), attempting to evacuate individuals seeking refuge in a hospital, was targeted in Gaza City, resulting in the death of two individuals, according to the organisation. The group said it was "deliberate" Israeli attack on vehicles clearly marked with the organisation's logo.

Two days later, MSF facilities in Gaza City were hit again, as staff members scrambled to find shelter, MSF reported.

On November 24, Israeli tank destroyed a MSF minibus, which prominently displayed the group’s logo, in southern Gaza.

MSF requested Israeli authorities to give an explanation but did not receive any response.

On December 28, Israeli forces opened fire on a United Nations aid convoy in central Gaza as it was returning from delivering aid in the northern part of the enclave. No injuries were reported.

The convoy had coordinated its plans with the Israeli military and informed them about their travel plans, said Thomas White, the Gaza director for UNRWA.

In an interview, White described another incident where a young man was driving a UN-marked tractor to a dump site while clearing solid waste from one of the communities.

“He suffered extensive damage to his femur,” White said.

An usual pattern

Israeli authorities possess information about the humanitarian aid groups' movements within the enclave. There are even reports saying that US President Joe Biden’s administration shared informational about the location of aid groups with the Israeli government to prevent strikes against them. Despite this, Israel has persisted in targeting them.

For several months now, the UN has consistently emphasised that more UN aid workers have been killed in Gaza than in any other single conflict in the organisation's 78-year history.

That toll is “something we have never seen in the history of the United Nations,” said UN secretary general Antonio Guterres.