'Unforgivable': World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres accuses Israel of committing 'war against humanity'

WASHINGTON – Chef and philanthropist José Andrés says Israeli attacks in Gaza that have killed civilians – including seven volunteers in his World Central Kitchen aid convoy – amount to an ongoing "crime against humanity."

"This is happening for way too long; it's been six months of targeting anything that seems moves," Andrés said in an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

"This doesn't seem a war against terror. This doesn't seem anymore a war about defending Israel. This really, at this point, seems it's a war against humanity itself," Andrés said. The beloved celebrity chef spoke through tears during the interview.

The aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike last week as their convoy was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse. They had coordinated movements with the Israeli military, and they were traveling in armored cars bearing the World Central Kitchen logo.

Israel called the attack a "grave mistake" and said the military had misidentified a World Central Kitchen worker as a Hamas gunman. The Israeli military fired two officers for their role in the attack.

Andrés dismissed Israel's explanation in his interview, telling ABC News: "Every time something happens, we cannot just be bringing Hamas into the equation."

Andrés' interview came on the six-month anniversary of Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which launched the war in Gaza.

The United States is pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government over the rising number of civilian deaths in Gaza. Some officials have suggested cutting off aid to Israel in an effort to forge a cease-fire.

President Joe Biden, who spoke with Andrés last week, expressed outrage over the World Central Kitchen deaths. He also emphasized that U.S. support in the Gaza war depends on "immediate" steps to protect civilians and aid workers.

"They were providing food to hungry civilians in the middle of a war," Biden said. "They were brave and selfless. Their deaths are a tragedy."

In his ABC interview, Andrés said the attack "is unforgivable. I will have to live with this the rest of my life."

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, Dan Morrison, Sudiksha Kochi and John Bacon

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chef Jose Andres accuses Israel of 'war against humanity' in Gaza