Amid Tragedy, Anguished Pleas for Gaza

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To the Editor:

Re “Just Let People Eat,” by José Andrés, a chef and the founder of World Central Kitchen (Opinion guest essay, April 4):

What a humane, heartfelt and balanced essay by Mr. Andrés after the tragic death of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.

Now if only the Israeli people will hear his plea and require the government to open more humanitarian aid routes into Gaza. Food is not a weapon of war.

James Berkman
Boston

To the Editor:

José Andrés’s essay deserves to be read by all. He beautifully points out the commonality across religions and cultures of our need for food. He deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his work and for calling on the world to concentrate on the most fundamental human need: nourishment for life itself.

Elena Reyes
Fort Myers, Fla.
The writer is a licensed psychologist.

To the Editor:

Re “Is Biden Willing to Use America’s Leverage With Israel?,” by David E. Sanger and Peter Baker (news analysis, April 4):

President Biden is “outraged and heartbroken” over the deaths of the seven aid workers in Gaza. David Cameron, the British foreign secretary, says Israel must “make major changes to ensure the safety of aid workers.”

That these seven noble people died is a tragedy. But where has Mr. Biden’s newfound vocal outrage been as upward of 13,000 children, according to Gazan health officials, have been killed in Gaza by the Israeli military? And Mr. Cameron: What changes, if any, should Israel make to ensure their safety?

There is something essentially wrong when the deaths of seven aid workers instantly precipitate a huge reaction from the governments of the U.S. and U.K., and yet the deaths of thousands of Palestinian children have until recently elicited not much more than a resigned shoulder shrug.