Strike kills U.N. aid worker, injures another in southern Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel — The United Nations said one of its workers was killed and another injured when their U.N.-marked vehicle was struck in Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Monday. It was on its way to assess the situation at the European Hospital there.

The Israeli military said in a statement that it had received a report from the U.N. Department of Safety and Security that two of its workers were injured. It also said that in an initial investigation, the vehicle hit was traveling in what the military declared an active combat zone. The Israeli military also said that it didn't receive notice of the vehicle's route.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "deeply saddened" by the news and called for a full investigation. He said more than 190 U.N. workers have been killed in Gaza since October and that all humanitarian workers must be protected.

A U.N. report published on Friday said 254 aid workers had been killed in Gaza as of April 30. That includes seven aid workers from the humanitarian food organization World Central Kitchen who were killed in an Israeli airstrike at the beginning of April.

Human Rights Watch said in a report published Tuesday that Israeli forces have struck aid worker convoys and properties in Gaza at least eight times since the beginning of the war. The report said this happens even while aid groups are in constant communication with Israeli officials about coordinates.

Fighting in Gaza intensified over the past week, as the Israeli military ramped up its operation in Rafah. Reuters reported on Tuesday that tanks rolled deeper into the city. The U.N. said that half a million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced across Gaza, with 450,000 of them being from Rafah, where almost 1.3 Palestinians were sheltering.

Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.