World Central Kitchen founder Chef Jose Andres visited the organization’s field kitchen in Deir al-Balah, Gaza where he met local staff and tried freshly prepared bread and meals on Thursday (August 14).

“We all need to be supporting the people of Palestine feeding themselves, making sure everybody has access to food, everybody has access to water,” Andres said during the tour.

The visit comes as WCK aims to ramp up meal production to a million a day in Gaza amid critical food shortages, the WCK said in a statement.

Andres also visited Israel where he paid respects at the Nova music festival site, where hundreds were killed at the Oct.7 attack in 2023.

An Israeli strike in April of 2024 hit a convoy of three vehicles and killed seven staff of WCK, including foreign aid workers. Israel apologized for what it said was a mistake.

Aid organizations are struggling to meet the needs of Gaza's more than 2 million population after nearly two years of war have devastated the Palestinian enclave, killing tens of thousands of people and causing widespread hunger.

Israel has often said Hamas militants infiltrate aid groups, while humanitarian organizations have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to ease aid restrictions.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA (AUGUST 14, 2025)

1. CELEBRITY CHEF AND FOUNDER OF WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN, JOSE ANDRES, ARRIVING

2. VARIOUS OF ANDRES TOURING KITCHEN ALONGSIDE TEAM MEMBERS, RECORDING WITH PHONE

3. VARIOUS OF ANDRES FIST BUMPING WCK STAFF

4. ANDRES HUGGING, BEING INTRODUCED TO STAFF MEMBER

5. ANDRES AND WCK STAFF APPLAUDING

6. ANDRES INSPECTING COOKING

7. ANDRES MEETING WCK STAFF

8. ANDRES CONVERSING WITH WCK STAFF, SMELLING AND BREAKING A PIECE OF FLAT BREAD

9. ANDRES TASTING A MEAL TRAY

10. ANDRES INSPECTING BAKERY WHILE HOLDING RECORDING ON PHONE

11. (MUTE) BAKERY MACHINE PRODUCING BREAD

12. VARIOUS OF WCK STAFF OPENING FOOD CANS

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CELEBRITY CHEF AND FOUNDER OF WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN, JOSE ANDRES, SAYING:

"Well, we all need to be supporting the people of Palestine feeding themselves, making sure everybody has access to food, everybody has access to water. Now, hopefully a ceasefire will (be) achieved. The people of Gaza will not be everyday under shelling, that the hostages of Israel also will be released. What is good for Gaza, must be good for Israel, what is good for Israel, must be good for Gaza. And I hope one day, I don't know, you'll be kitchen where, I'm a dreamer, Palestinian and the Israelis will be cooking together to feed the people."

14. (MUTE) JOSE ANDRES EATING A MEAL

15. JOSE ANDRES AND WCK STAFF POSING FOR PHOTO

16. (MUTE) VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF WCK STAFF POSING WITH ANDRES

17. (MUTE) STILL PHOTO OF ANDRES LOOKING AT CAN OF BABY FORMULA

REIM, ISRAEL (AUGUST 14, 2025)

18. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF ANDRES VISITING MEMORIAL FOR THE OCTOBER 7, 2023 NOVA MUSIC FESTIVAL ATTACK

UNKNOWN LOCATION, ISRAEL (AUGUST 14, 2025)

19. VARIOUS STILL PHOTOS OF ANDRES BEING BRIEFED ABOUT WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN'S OPERATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST