Washington, D.C., March 1, 2024 – Bread for the World released the following statement on the deaths of more than 100 people awaiting humanitarian food aid yesterday in Gaza City. The statement can be attributed to Rev. Eugene Cho, president and CEO of Bread for the World:
“Bread for the World is heartbroken by the deaths of more than 100 people in Gaza City who were waiting for desperately needed food aid trucks to arrive.
“The entirety of Gaza’s population — 2.2 million people — find themselves in the grasp of extreme food insecurity, with more than a quarter of the population facing famine. This is particularly true in northern Gaza, where yesterday’s incident occurred and where 1 in 6 children under the age of two are suffering from severe malnutrition and wasting. This is the highest level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world.
“We continue praying for hostages to be released, for a ceasefire, and for lasting peace to reign in the region. And we call upon the White House and Congress to do all they can to bring about an end to the violence and ensure that humanitarian aid can be safely delivered to all those who need it. This includes providing U.S. global assistance programs and partner international aid organizations with enough funding to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.
“As I wrote in my recent op-ed “Jesus is hungry in Gaza. Will we feed him?” – we must proceed with purpose, always bearing in mind the imperative: ‘Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me — you did it to me.’”
