The death of Sobol, 36, one of the 7 volunteers killed in an Israeli attack that targeted 2 vehicles bearing the WCK logo in the Deir al-Balah de-escalation zone in Gaza, has saddened his hometown of Przemysl, where he spent most of his life.
At the memorial site in front of the central train station in Przemysl, a memorial ceremony for Sobol was held with oil lamps and flowers. Among the lamps, Palestinian scarves called “keffiyehs” attracted attention, while friends and relatives who attended the ceremony talked about Sobol.
“What Israel did was an act of terrorism”
Batlomiej Hadala, a volunteer who helps Ukrainian refugees in the city 10 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, said Sobol is a brother, neighbor and friend to him.
“What Israel did was an act of terrorism,” Hadala said, adding that they will not forget Sobol.
Aisha Kumpan, who also attended the ceremony, said, “People should not be killed for helping others. This is not right. We just want to help.”
Explaining that his parents were Jewish and Muslim Ukrainians, Kumpan said that he was entitled to Israeli citizenship but did not want his child to join the Israeli army.
By decision of the city’s mayor Wojciech Bakun, the flag of the town hall was lowered to half-mast.
Bakun said that out of respect for his family, he would not speak before the funeral ceremony to be held after Sobol’s body is brought to the country.
“Damian Sobol, who tragically died in the Gaza Strip, was a well-known resident of Przemysl with many friends and acquaintances,” the Przemysl city website said in a message on Sobol’s death.
Sobol was responsible for the operation of the maritime corridor established to deliver humanitarian food aid from the island of Cyprus to the Gaza Strip. WCK and Open Arms sent the first batch of humanitarian aid on a ship on March 11.
Murder of WCK employees
The employees of World Central Kitchen were killed in the Israeli attack on Deir al-Balah area in Gaza on April 1.
WCK said in a statement that the 7 employees killed in the attack were from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States-Canada and Palestine.
The statement noted that the team was in 2 armored vehicles bearing the organization’s logo in the de-escalation zone at the time of the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, on the other hand, argued that there was “no intent” in the killing of WCK employees and said, “Such incidents happen in wars, we will investigate this to the end. We are in contact with the relevant governments. We will do everything to prevent this from happening again.”
After the attack, 240 tons of humanitarian aid sent by ships from the island of Cyprus and arrived in Gaza on April 1, returned without being delivered.
