Today, World Central Kitchen reached a milestone, serving one million meals daily across Gaza. Thanks to our network of Field Kitchens, community kitchens, bakeries, and partners, more families—close to half of the total population—can count on a reliable meal each day.

Since 2023, our teams in Gaza have served more than 272 million meals, 73 million loaves of bread, and 6.4 million gallons of water. We are now serving more daily meals than ever. This scale is possible because food and supplies are now entering Gaza more predictably, allowing WCK teams to plan, cook, and distribute meals consistently. 

The current ceasefire has also enabled safer movement for staff and supplies, and allowed WCK to expand operations, including into parts of northern Gaza that were previously inaccessible.

“Today, we reached one million hot meals a day in Gaza. It’s not a statistic. It’s Palestinians feeding Palestinians, cooking with dignity under impossible conditions. It’s communities refusing to give up on one another,” said WCK Founder José Andrés. “Today we honor this achievement—and tomorrow, we keep cooking. Because feeding people is the most basic act of humanity, and Gaza still needs the world to show up.”

Still, progress does not mean the crisis is over. Even as conditions have improved relative to earlier months, hunger remains widespread. Fuel interruptions, an unpredictable security environment, and the limited number of humanitarian actors able to operate pose risks. One million meals a day meets an urgent demand, but it does not eliminate it.

What makes this accomplishment extraordinary is who makes it possible. WCK’s Gaza response is led by local Palestinian team members and partners—people who are themselves affected by the crisis, yet continue to show up every day to cook for their neighbors. From large-capacity Field Kitchens to dozens of community kitchens, these teams combine different models rooted in community leadership and dignity.

As WCK’s Response Director for Gaza, Wadhah Hubaishi, shared: “Reaching one million meals a day is not a number—it’s a lifeline.” It represents families who can breathe a little easier today, and a community carrying itself forward, one meal at a time.