A Tribute to Nadi
Nadi Salem Awad Salout
One of our Palestinian colleagues, Nadi Salem Awad Salout, was killed by an Israeli airstrike on August 7 near Deir al-Balah, Gaza. He was an integral member of our WCK team from the early days of our response and a humanitarian at his very core. At age 37, Nadi was a husband and a father of four young children.
We are still gathering information and learning more about this tragedy. What we know in these early hours from witness accounts is that Nadi was fatally injured by shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike that used seven missiles to target multiple buildings. He was alone in his vehicle on his way home after work in one of our WCK warehouses.
Nadi joined the World Central Kitchen team in January, 2024 when he immediately played a crucial role in setting up our kitchen warehouse in Rafah. He put systems in place that made the operation more efficient so our teams could provide as many nourishing meals as possible throughout Gaza. He later transferred to our warehouse located in Deir al-Balah. He worked around the clock, often staying after hours to receive trucks full of desperately needed supplies.
WCK colleagues who worked shoulder to shoulder with Nadi remember him as a honest, dedicated, and diligent teammate whose humor brought joy to everyone around him, even in the darkest of circumstances. They describe his approach to providing humanitarian aid, despite innumerable obstacles, as full of hope and optimism. Nadi’s closest colleagues and the entire WCK family are mourning this tremendous loss.
WCK CEO Erin Gore shares, “Our thoughts and support are with our colleagues working in unimaginable circumstances and grieving the loss of an amazing human.”
Nadi is the eighth WCK team member to be killed in Gaza. On April 1, 2024 an IDF airstrike killed Saif, Zomi, Damian, Jacob, James, John, and Jim while they were traveling in a deconflicted zone in two armored cars branded with the WCK logo and a soft skin vehicle.
You can learn more about the WCK heroes killed in Ukraine and Gaza here.
