Three aid workers were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday in the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency. The agency identified the victims as Palestinian employees of the U.S.-based humanitarian organization World Central Kitchen (WCK), though the charity did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The incident occurred in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
The Israeli military confirmed the airstrike, but it asserted that the target was a vehicle carrying a “terrorist” involved in the October 7 attacks, carried out by Hamas, which left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel. In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said that the person in the vehicle had participated in the “murderous” Hamas assault. However, the IDF added that it was investigating the claim that the person was also employed by World Central Kitchen.
The Civil Defence Agency’s spokesperson, Mahmud Bassal, confirmed that the bodies of at least five people, including the three WCK workers, had been transported to a local hospital. He described the vehicle they were traveling in as a clearly marked WCK jeep. “All three men worked for World Central Kitchen and were killed while driving in the marked WCK vehicle,” Bassal said.
Israel’s military maintained that the airstrike targeted a civilian vehicle that was not coordinated for aid transport. The Israeli Army insisted that it had struck a vehicle not bearing any humanitarian markings and that the vehicle’s movement was unrelated to aid efforts.
The attack marks the latest in a series of incidents involving the targeting of aid workers. In April 2024, another Israeli airstrike killed seven WCK staff members, including personnel from the United States, the UK, Poland, and Palestine. The IDF initially claimed the strike had targeted a Hamas gunman but later acknowledged “grave mistakes” and violations of its own rules of engagement.
As of November 2024, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has led to significant casualties, with over 44,000 people killed, the majority of them civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable. In response to the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks, Israel launched extensive military operations in Gaza, leading to widespread devastation.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has confirmed the identity of the individual it said was a militant employed by World Central Kitchen, reiterating its request for clarification from both the international community and WCK officials about how such a situation occurred.
The deadly conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, has sparked widespread international debate, with humanitarian groups raising concerns over the safety of aid workers in the region.
