The US-based charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) dismissed dozens of Palestinian Arab staff members working in Gaza after Israel alleged that at least 62 of them had links to terrorist groups, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing accounts from three former employees.
In a message to its staff, WCK acknowledged it had "made changes" following an Israeli request for an investigation into its hiring practices in the region.
"This should not be taken as a conclusion by WCK that the individuals are affiliated with any terror organization," the charity clarified, noting that Israel had not disclosed its intelligence and "we do not know the basis for Israel’s decision to flag these individuals."
The organization explained its actions, stating that the decision was made "to protect our team and our operations."
A spokesperson for WCK confirmed that 62 individuals had been terminated.
An Israeli security official informed Reuters that the investigation stemmed from suspicions of links to Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Among those identified was a WCK employee, Ahed Azmi Qdeih, who allegedly participated in the attack.
Qdeih was later eliminated in an Israeli air strike on Gaza on November 30. WCK, at the time, confirmed his death but stated it had no prior knowledge of any employee's involvement in the attack.
The Israeli official claimed that a security review revealed "affiliations and direct connections" between the dismissed WCK employees and militant groups.
This past April, seven WCK aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said after the strike that it was a case of misidentification and the strikes were not meant to harm WCK workers.
The IDF later dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded senior commanders after an inquiry into the incident.
As a result of the fatal air strike, WCK temporarily halted its food distributions in Gaza, but resumed those distributions about a month later.
Australia, whose citizen was among the seven WCK workers killed in the strike, conducted its own probe of the strike, and subsequently blamed "serious failures to follow procedures" by IDF personnel for the April incident.