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Gaza Soup Kitchen chef killed in Israeli drone strike
A beloved Palestinian chef and the face and founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen was killed in an Israeli drone strike over the weekend, according to his family in Northern Virginia. Chef Mahmoud Almadhoun and his brother Hani, who lives in Fairfax County, teamed up earlier this year to create the Gaza Soup Kitchen. It began with Chef Mahmoud, 33, and just a few pots, feeding families in his Gaza neighborhood. FOX 5's Homa Bash has the story.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A beloved Palestinian chef and the face and founder of the Gaza Soup Kitchen was killed in an Israeli drone strike over the weekend, according to his family in Northern Virginia.
Chef Mahmoud Almadhoun and his brother Hani, who lives in Fairfax County, teamed up earlier this year to create the Gaza Soup Kitchen. It began with Chef Mahmoud, 33, and just a few pots, feeding families in his Gaza neighborhood.
But it quickly grew, as did the need, and before long, five soup kitchens were operational with three in North Gaza and two in the south.
This summer, FOX 5's Homa Bash sat down with Hani to highlight the work the two brothers have done, along with the help of their mother, sisters, nieces and nephews.
Thousands of children and families are fed in Gaza through the Gaza Soup Kitchen and they have raised more than $2 million on GoFundMe, with support from people in more than 100 countries.
Hani said he received the call in the middle of the night on Saturday, telling him his brother Mahmoud had been killed in a drone strike. He didn't believe it at first.
"My brother is a chef, he should not be a target. He was feeding hungry people and providing water for the sick in the hospital," Hani said. "We believe that is why he was intentionally targeted."
Hani said that Mahmoud was a full-time civilian and a chef and had recently begun providing bags of flour, canned goods, produce and baby formula to a nearby hospital, which he believes may have led to his being killed.
Fairfax man raises over $1M to help feed starving families in Gaza
On Wednesday, the head of the World Health Organization said that thousands of people in Gaza are facing "catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions."
"And the whole world's changed because this is our second brother that we lose. This is not our first," Hani said.
Their other brother was killed in Gaza soon after the war began in November 2023.
The World Health Organization has said that Northern Gaza is at imminent risk of famine — the report coming the same day the United Nations Human Rights Office said nearly 70 percent of deaths it has verified in Gaza were women and children, adding that 80 percent were killed in residential buildings.
More than 100 members of Hani's extended family have been killed in Gaza as the war rages on.
"It's a huge loss, we grieve a lot, but also we cannot be defined by fear. We are Palestinians, we have to be patient, we have to have strength. I know it seems like we should take a break but we cannot afford it. Kids are starving," Hani said.
And they will continue the work in honor of Chef Mahmoud, who leaves behind seven children — the youngest, a baby girl, just 10 days old.
"We have to mourn him, but also keep his legacy - he's always going to tell us, we must carry on," Hani said.
Chef Mahmoud has been laid to rest in Gaza - but there will be a memorial service to honor him in Washington, D.C. on Friday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Friends Meeting of Washington at 2111 Decatur Pl. NW.