In a move that sparked public discontent in the Gaza Strip, the World Central Kitchen organization decided to scale back some of its relief activities in the Strip, particularly the distribution of hot meals to impoverished and displaced families in shelters.
Sources confirmed to the Palestinian Information Center that the organization’s management informed approximately 400 employees and volunteers that their contracts were being terminated. This represents a portion of the nearly 700 staff members working across its various programs in Gaza, and is part of a plan to restructure and reduce field operations.
According to the sources, the decision includes closing several food preparation points in different areas of the Strip, as well as reducing operations at the organization’s main center in the Zawayda area in the central Gaza Strip. This will impact the number of hot meals provided in central and southern Gaza cities, especially Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, which host the largest concentration of displaced people, particularly in the al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis.
One of the employees who was informed of the termination of their services told Quds Press that the organization notified staff at the beginning of this month of the decision to reduce its workforce, justifying it by citing a reassessment of the nature of humanitarian interventions and operational needs for the coming period.
This decision comes at a time when the residents of the Gaza Strip are living in extremely difficult humanitarian and living conditions, amid the ongoing war, rising poverty and displacement rates, and the reliance of hundreds of thousands of families on aid and free meals as their primary source of food. This has raised concerns that the suffering of poor and displaced families will worsen with the reduction of the organization’s services.
Meanwhile, UN and international warnings continue regarding the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, with the continued deterioration of living conditions and shortages of basic food supplies.
Ahmed Abu Shamala, a displaced person living in a tent in the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, said that the meals provided by the organization were the primary source of food for his family of seven, especially given the sharp rise in food prices and the difficulty in obtaining flour and other basic supplies.
He added, “We relied on these meals daily because we couldn’t afford to buy food or cooking supplies. Reducing the kitchens’ operations will only increase people’s suffering, especially for children and the elderly.” The World Central Kitchen (WCK) is one of the leading international humanitarian organizations operating in the Gaza Strip since 2023. It operates on a “Palestinians Feeding Palestinians” model, employing hundreds of Gazans to manage its field kitchens.
