A mission of mercy, then a fatal mistake: How an aid convoy in Gaza became Israel’s target

By JACK JEFFERY, JULIA FRANKEL and WAFAA SHURAFA
Associated Press

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — It was hours after sundown when eight aid trucks and three support vehicles started their journey into Gaza. The roads were dark, except for occasional patches where ragged light spilled from buildings with their own generators. By a few minutes after 10 p.m. the convoy was moving south on Gaza’s coastal road. They dropped off the precious cargo and the aid workers left the convoy to return home. The first missile struck a little more than an hour later. Soon after, all seven aid workers were dead. World Central Kitchen and a few other aid groups suspended operations in Gaza. Yet despite the danger, many of the largest organizations barely slowed down.