José Andrés accuses Israel of deliberately targeting World Central Kitchen members

Amna Nawaz:

Today, the bodies of foreign aid workers killed in an Israeli strike early yesterday morning have left Gaza and are being flown to their home countries.

Geoff Bennett:

They worked for World Central Kitchen, whose founder today accused Israel of targeting his employees deliberately. That's an accusation that Israel denies.

Nick Schifrin starts our coverage.

Nick Schifrin:

He had flown 7,800 miles from home to help feed the hungry. Today, he began his final journey home, pushed out of a morgue.

American-Canadian Jacob Flickinger was 33 years old. He leaves behind his partner, Sandy, and their 1-year-old boy. With him as he crossed the Egyptian border today, his friends in life and death, Australian Lalzawmi Frankcom, known as Zomi, Damian Sobol from Poland, and their British security team, John Chapman, James Henderson, and James Kirby, whose cousin today remembered him as someone who wanted to help.

Man:

He was completely selfless, which explains why he went to Gaza.

Nick Schifrin:

World Central Kitchen, or WCK, says it coordinated with the Israeli military late Monday night as a convoy left its warehouse in Deir al Balah by the sea in Central Gaza.

The group says Israeli munitions hit an initial vehicle. Workers then moved to another vehicle that was struck and then a third vehicle that was struck as they traveled on or next to the coastal road that Israel designates for humanitarian aid.

Jose Andres, Founder, World Central Kitchen:

We were targeted deliberately, nonstop, until everybody was dead in this convoy.

Nick Schifrin:

Jose Andres is the founder of World Central Kitchen. He's a celebrity chef whose activism and charity has earned him deep respect among policymakers. The group also fed Israelis after Hamas' October 7 terrorist attack. He spoke to Reuters today.

Jose Andres:

It looks like it's not a war against terrorism anymore. Seems this is a war against humanity itself.

Nick Schifrin:

Israel denies that accusation and says it takes pain to limit civilian casualties.

In response to the attack, it opened a joint situation room with international humanitarian groups and launched an investigation, whose initial finding was laid out last night by chief of the general staff, Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi.

Lt. Gen, Herzi Halevi, Chief of Staff, Israeli Defense Forces: It was a mistake that followed a misidentification at night during a war in a very complex condition.

Nick Schifrin:

And, today, a U.S. official confirms that President Biden will speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tomorrow.