Damian Sobol
Sobol was killed in an Israeli airstrike on April 1, 2024, while traveling in a marked World Central Kitchen convoy delivering food aid in Gaza.
According to the IDF and WCK reports, the convoy was struck despite being clearly marked and traveling on an approved route. Israeli authorities later stated they misidentified a person as a Hamas militant, calling the strike a “grave mistake.” The incident prompted global criticism, an internal IDF disciplinary response, and international demands for an independent investigation.
Biography
Damian Sobol was a 35-year-old humanitarian aid worker from Przemyśl in southeastern Poland. Trained in hospitality, he dedicated his life to helping people in crisis zones around the world. He joined World Central Kitchen (WCK) in 2022 and became known for his technical skill, compassion, and tireless commitment to serving others. Sobol volunteered during major humanitarian emergencies in Ukraine, Greece, Morocco, and Turkey before spending six months in Gaza, where he supported large-scale food-aid operations. Friends and colleagues described him as kind, protective, innovative, and a person who always found solutions. He was widely admired in his hometown and by global teammates for his generosity and skill.
Born and raised in Przemyśl, Poland, Sobol studied hospitality before turning to humanitarian work. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, his hometown became a major hub for refugees, and he began volunteering with World Central Kitchen. His practical skills made him indispensable: he could build, repair, or engineer almost anything needed in crisis zones.
His work expanded internationally—he assisted refugees in Ukraine, responded to wildfires in Greece, and helped operations in Morocco and Turkey after major earthquakes. In Gaza, Sobol played a major role in WCK’s kitchen operations, including helping install a water filtration system and supporting the preparation of millions of meals for civilians trapped in the conflict.
His colleagues described him as a “superhero,” someone who could solve any problem, keep morale strong, and work relentlessly in dangerous conditions. WCK later named a new high-production field kitchen in Gaza “Damian’s Kitchen” in his memory.
His funeral in Przemyśl was attended by high-ranking officials, including the President of Poland.
Pleas of Surviving Relatives and Family if any
Friends and colleagues, such as chef Laura Pauli, expressed profound grief and anger, calling him an “extraordinary human being” and a great loss “to the planet.”
Additional Information
Sources & References
World Central Kitchen (WCK) has named its new field kitchen after Damian Soból, a Polish volunteer with the organisation who, along with six colleagues, was killed in Gaza in an air attack by the Israeli army earlier this month. “Damian’s Kitchen,” WCK’s third high-production kitchen, is being built in Mawasi, central Gaza. WCK, which provides humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, has also announced that it is resuming its activities after a nearly month-long suspension that followed the attack by Israel’s armed forces, the IDF, on 1 April.1 notesfrompoland.com Open source
Damian Sobol, 36, came from the south-eastern Polish city of Przemyśl, where he was studying hospitality. He joined World Central Kitchen in 2022, and had been on aid missions in Ukraine, Morocco and Turkey. For the past six months he had worked in Gaza and had been documenting the charity’s missions on social media in the days before he was killed. Wojciech Bakun, the mayor of Przemyśl, wrote on Facebook: “There are no words to describe the feelings of people who knew this amazing young man right now.”2 theguardian.com Open source
The family of a British aid worker killed by an Israeli drone strike in Gaza have accused the government of giving "nothing but empty apologies". James Kirby, 47, from Bristol was one of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) killed in the attack, in which two other Britons also died. The group was travelling in a convoy of marked vehicles when it was fired upon by Israeli armed drones on 1 April last year. The deaths of the three Britons was raised in Parliament on Tuesday, with Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer telling MPs he had met the families of those killed in November, alongside the Foreign Secretary.3 bbc.com Open source