Polish aid worker killed in Gaza served in Türkiye’s quake-hit city: Report

ANKARA

A report by Turkish daily Hürriyet has revealed that a Polish aid worker who was a victim of the attack on a team of World Central Kitchen staff in the Gaza Strip had also rushed to Türkiye after devastating earthquakes in the country’s south last year.

Israeli bombardment killed seven staff of the U.S.-based food charity World Central Kitchen on April 1, in an attack in war-torn Gaza.

Members of the charity, who distribute meals for free in disaster areas worldwide, rushed to Türkiye upon learning of the disaster on Feb. 6, 2023, while distributing food to Ukrainian refugees at the Poland-Ukraine border, the report said on April 3.

Setting up a kitchen in Kahramanmaraş’s Elbistan district, the team provided meals to thousands after the disaster.

Damian Sobol, one of the victims of the Israeli bombardment, provided significant support to earthquake survivors in Elbistan with meals he tirelessly cooked for days, the daily said.

Sobol's team in Elbistan served three hot meals a day, preparing their menus to suit the local cuisine.

The report mentioned Sobol returning to his country after a prolonged stay in Türkiye’s earthquake-hit region and subsequently joining the team heading to Gaza.