Chef José Andrés founded the NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) in 2011, a year after helping in the Haiti earthquake. Very popular in the United States and with a direct line to the White House, it has served meals to territories around the world affected by natural disasters and during the coronavirus pandemic in the US. It has also been involved in armed conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and, more recently, in Gaza. After the Hamas massacre on October 7, the NGO collaborated with Israel to help Israelis displaced from their homes.
In that context, Andrés had a scuffle with the then Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belarra, whom he asked to resign after she claimed that Israel was committing “war crimes” in the Gaza Strip. “As a minister you have to first recognize that the Hamas attack against civilians is a terrorist act (…) You do not represent me or Spain,” the chef wrote in X. In parallel, WCK began sending trucks with food to Palestinians in Gaza and, in December, established its first kitchen in the strip, expanding its capacity to provide food in the south of the enclave, with the help of UNRWA.
However, its greatest effort has been the opening of the maritime corridor between Cyprus and the enclave, which had the collaboration of the US and the United Arab Emirates and the approval of Israel (not Hamas). “WCK’s work is key. They are on the front line of humanity,” the Israeli army spokesman highlighted yesterday.
