KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Seven aid workers were killed in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday. They were from Britain, Australia and Poland. Another was a Canadian American dual citizen, and another was Palestinian. All of them worked to deliver vital resources to a starving Gaza, and an East Tennessee man said he knew them while working to help communities across the world.
Joe Hurston is the founder of Air Mobile Ministries, flying across the world and delivering water purifiers to areas in crisis. He said he first met the workers in Ukraine while helping thousands of refugees fleeing the war there. They worked with the World Central Kitchen, an organization that feeds communities struck by disaster and tragedy.
"We were right at the border crossing, and I first smelled World Central Kitchen, and I ate food there and began to meet the crew and the staff there," he said. "Then we reconnected again in Turkey, after a big earthquake there. And there, I met without question the bravest humanitarian I've ever worked with in my life, bar none."
Hurston said that the humanitarian's name is Ben, but also said he could not provide his last name due to security concerns. He also said World Central Kitchen had used water from Air Mobile Ministry's purifiers to help cook meals.
"Most recently, we crisscrossed in Morocco, and then this time we knew that time was short. We knew that there were millions of people that were facing starvation and thirst, and I contacted Ben. I said, 'Ben, we have got to get these units entered there,'" Hurston said. "We communicated just hours before the bombing."
They arranged to deliver the water purification units into Gaza through Egypt, giving purifiers to Ben to help deploy at strategic locations. He also said after the airstrikes, he immediately reached out to Ben who told Hurston that he "just lost some of (his) dearest friends."
Ben told Hurston that he was a block and a half away from where the strikes killed the aid workers. Hurston also said he did not know if the water purifiers he gave Ben were damaged.
"World Central Kitchen, I can't say enough about them about their courage and their precision, and the strength with which they go forth. I want East Tennessee to know that the contributions they have given, have gone into World Central Kitchen. Even the last five units that we delivered there, that actually went into Rafah, we partially funded by the folks in East Tennessee, and I can't thank them enough for helping us," Hurston said.
More than 32,900 Palestinians have been killed in the war, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.
The WCK said the team was traveling in a deconflicted zone, driving in two armored cars branded with the organization's logo. There was also a "soft skin" vehicle in the caravan, according to a release from WCK. It also said it had coordinated movements with Israeli forces before leaving a warehouse where workers unloaded aid.
"These are the heroes of World Central Kitchen. These 7 beautiful souls were killed by the IDF in a strike as they were returning from a full day's mission. Their smiles, laughter, and voices are forever embedded in our memories. And we have countless memories of them giving their best selves to the world. We are reeling from our loss. The world's loss," said Erin Gore in a release, the CEO of WCK.
The WCK previously said it was halting operations in Gaza after the airstrike.
Hurston said the work of Air Mobile Ministries will not change after the workers' deaths. As of Wednesday, he was recovering from surgery on his leg. But he soon plans to head back out and help in areas like Haiti, where thousands are fleeing violence, and Taiwan, where an earthquake recently toppled buildings.
All the while, Hurston said he would be joined by groups of humanitarian workers who treat each other like family. He said he plans to honor the lives of the workers by continuing his work across the world.
"We try to stack the deck as best we can. We try to maintain a measure of security and not broadcast all of our moves in advance. We do our best to try to come back alive, but we know that when we go, we may not (return) — just by the very nature of the devastation," he said.
Hurston also writes a blog chronicling his journeys to help areas hit by tragedy and bloodshed. It's available on the Air Mobile Ministries website.
"We travel into the hellholes, in the most desperate areas of the Earth, and there's a camaraderie there, and there's a love there that is, I just have to say, it's the love of God," he said.