Celebrity humanitarian chef Jose Andres steps in to feed people in Gaza and Israel

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With food kits and hot rice dishes, the non-profit organisation created by renowned Spanish-American chef Jose Andres has stepped in to help feed Palestinians and Israelis amid the worsening Israel-Gaza war.

Mr Andres founded World Central Kitchen in 2010 after a massive earthquake hit Haiti. He has also done work in Ukraine following Russia's invasion.

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He is now using that same model of joining forces with local organisations to set up kitchens offering much needed assistance to people who have been displaced by conflict.

“In the midst of this violence and critical humanitarian crisis facing millions of Palestinians, access to food and the means to cook for their loved ones is hampered,” the organisation wrote on its website.

World Central Kitchen said it had joined Anera, a local organisation, to set up a kitchen in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip where thousands of Palestinians have fled.

The organisation has also worked with restaurants in Israel to assist families who have been evacuated.

“In Israel, we are working with local restaurants across the country, serving meals to people who have been displaced from their homes as a result of the early October attack and ensuing shelling along the border,” according to the website.

On October 7, Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,400 people. Israel has since evacuated residents of several cities bordering Gaza, as it bombards the enclave with air strikes that have so far killed more than 7,000, according to a local tally.

Ahead of an imminent ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas, Israel also tightened its siege of Gaza, blocking the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel, triggering a humanitarian crisis affecting the 2.3 million Palestinian residents of the enclave.

It also ordered residents of northern Gaza – more than one million people – to leave their homes and flee to the south.

International efforts have since led to the entry of five convoys carrying aid through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

But so far, Israel has not allowed the entry of fuel, worsening an already dire healthcare situation.

World Central Kitchen said that continuing air strikes and difficulties in getting supplies into Gaza is hindering its efforts.

Originally from northern Spain, Mr Andres, 54, learnt to cook in Barcelona and moved to the US in 1990.

He is based in Washington, where he runs several successful restaurants, including the award-winning Jaleo and Zaytinia.

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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

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Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association

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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.