Chef José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, spoke about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza during an interview on August 17, 2025. The interview, conducted by Margaret Brennan, highlighted the alarming reports from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which stated that starvation-related deaths have reached 250, including 110 children.

Andrés, who visited Gaza recently, described his experience. "It was a day trip. I was able to go early in the day and leave before sunset," he said. He visited one of World Central Kitchen's main kitchens in Deir al-Balah and assessed the needs of the local teams. "We are doing around 200,000 meals a day, but this is only 10 percent of the need," he noted, emphasizing the urgent requirement for increased food aid.

The United Nations has reported starvation in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister claims there is no starvation. Andrés acknowledged the complexity of the situation, stating, "We need to remember that during many weeks, no food was going inside Gaza."

He called for a significant increase in aid, stating, "We need to make sure that the aid is massive enough that we don't get to those moments where... people are desperate for food." Andrés also mentioned the importance of ensuring safe routes for aid trucks to reach those in need.

World Central Kitchen aims to scale up its operations to produce one million meals a day in Gaza. When asked about the challenges of obtaining fuel and food, Andrés explained, "We need to make sure that we massively increase... that nobody has to be walking for miles to try to reach a place where they can find a plate of food."

He highlighted the need for more partner kitchens and bakeries to meet the demand of the population. Currently, World Central Kitchen operates 80 partner kitchens, but Andrés stressed that this is not sufficient. "We need to make sure that we have the fuel... to be able to cook the food," he said.

Andrés also addressed a recent incident where the Israeli government warned that armed individuals were posing as workers for World Central Kitchen. He stated, "Gaza is a very complicated place," and emphasized the organization's commitment to supporting the local population. "At the end, what we have is Palestinians feeding Palestinians," he said.

During his visit, Andrés met with Iair Horn, whose brother is still held hostage in Gaza. He expressed the need for peace and the return of hostages, stating, "Let's hope that this happens, obviously, alongside of a cease-fire, of peace, where nobody is under bombs."

Andrés concluded by reiterating the importance of providing food and support to those in need, emphasizing the shared humanity in the crisis.