World Central Kitchen workers killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza will be honored at memorial

A memorial astatine the National Cathedral successful Washington volition grant 7 World Central Kitchen assistance workers killed by Israeli strikes successful Gaza earlier this month

WASHINGTON -- A memorial astatine the National Cathedral successful Washington connected Thursday volition grant the 7 World Central Kitchen assistance workers killed by Israeli airstrikes successful Gaza earlier this month.

José Andrés, the personage cook and philanthropist down the Washington-based World Central Kitchen catastrophe alleviation group, is expected to talk astatine the solemnisation of beingness service, and famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma volition perform, organizers said.

The Biden medication said Thursday that Douglas Emhoff, hubby of Vice President Kamala Harris, and U.S. Assistant Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell would beryllium among elder medication figures attending.

The assistance workers were killed April 1 erstwhile a succession of Israeli equipped drones ripped done vehicles successful their convoy arsenic they near 1 of World Central Kitchen's warehouses connected a nutrient transportation mission. Those who died were Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha; Britons John Chapman, James Kirby and James Henderson; dual U.S.-Canadian national Jacob Flickinger; Australian Lalzawmi Frankcom; and Polish national Damiam Sobol.

After an unusually swift investigation, Israel said the subject officials progressive successful the onslaught had violated argumentation by acting based connected a azygous grainy photograph that 1 serviceman had contended — incorrectly — showed 1 of the 7 workers was armed. The Israeli subject dismissed 2 officers and reprimanded 3 others.

The assistance workers, whose travel had been coordinated with Israeli officials, are among much than 220 humanitarian workers killed successful the six-month-old Israel-Hamas war, according to the United Nations. That includes astatine slightest 30 killed successful the enactment of duty.

The planetary prominence and popularity of Andres and his nonprofit enactment galvanized wide outrage implicit the killings of the World Central Kitchen workers. The slayings intensified demands from the Biden medication and others that Israel's subject alteration however it operates successful Gaza to spare assistance workers and Palestinian civilians astatine large, who are facing a humanitarian situation and desperately request assistance from alleviation organizations arsenic the U.N. warns of looming famine.

World Central Kitchen, on with respective different humanitarian assistance agencies, suspended enactment successful Gaza aft the attack. “We haven't fixed up,” World Central Kitchen spokesperson Linda Roth said past week. “We are successful ceremonial mode close now.”

Religious leaders of a scope of faiths are acceptable to enactment successful Thursday's services. Funerals were held earlier successful the workers' location countries.

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AP writer Menelaos Hadjicostis successful Nicosia, Cyprus, contributed to this report.