Chef José Andrés Breaks Down in Heart Wrenching ABC Interview About His Aid Workers Killed By Israeli Drone Strike: ‘I Will Forever Have to Live With This’

Jennifer Bowers BahneyApr 7th, 2024, 9:46 am
 

Chef José Andrés broke down in tears Sunday while remembering the seven lost volunteers from his World Central Kitchen in separate IDF missile strikes.

He spoke with ABC’s Martha Raddatz, who filled in on This Week With George Stephanopoulos.

“I’m still going through the process, but there’s a lot of work to be done,” Andrés said. “We are a small organization, and right now we are in the middle of this story that we wish we were not part of. We are an organization that — we want to go to difficult places and bring food to people and bring joy to people. Because, people — when it’s about food and water, you need it today. So, for me, I think  the grief is going on, especially the members that I knew closely.”

Andrés broke down when he spoke about two of the lost volunteers, Lalzawami “Zomi” Frankcom and Damian Soból.

“Zomi, I spent time with her in missions. She was always a joy and was a very beloved member of the community. She was like a sister,” he said. “Damian, who was our newest member. And so, this hits home because, that’s people I served next to, and they’re an example of who we are. And that they put themselves in harm’s way to try to bring hope…to others.”

Raddatz brought up a “very emotional tweet” Andrés sent this week about Zomi.

“‘I wish I never founded the organization. You would be alive today smiling and making somebody somewhere feel like they are the most beloved person in the world.’ You said you wish you never founded World Central Kitchen?” Raddatz asked.

Andrés answered:

You know, I will forever have to live with this, as well as the families an all the members of World Central Kitchen. I founded it with one central idea: can we provide food and water quicker than anybody else? Obviously, something like this makes you think, we did what we did because there are always people that are forgotten. People that are always voiceless. I know very often there’s many people who join the organization because they saw me doing the work before. And it began being an organization of one that became an organization of millions…This comes with a risk. We try to minimize the risks.

Andrés said the group had just been celebrating the acquisition of armored vehicles that were well marked with the WCK logo in a bid to keep his people safe.

Watch the clip above via ABC News.

 

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