Israeli Strike on Taxi in Gaza City Kills Aid Worker and Three Others; Military Says It Targeted Hamas Operative

An Israeli airstrike killed Mohammed al-Wahidi, a senior official with the Egyptian Relief Committee, on Tuesday in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City. The missile struck the taxi in which he was travelling, also killing two brothers aged eight and ten who were passing by and one other man.

Al-Wahidi, 65, had coordinated emergency food assistance and set up camps for displaced families for more than two-and-a-half years.

He had also organised public screenings of World Cup matches in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and the al-Mawasi area in recent weeks, including one scheduled for Egypt's last-16 match against Argentina hours after his death. The Israeli military said it had struck a Hamas operative and was aware of claims that uninvolved individuals were killed.

Al-Wahidi had worked as an English teacher before the war.

"He was not simply an aid worker in a humanitarian committee," wrote activist Mohammed Hmeid. " "Everyone who knew him speaks of his kindness, integrity and generosity," Hmeid added. "In Gaza, even those who dedicate their lives to helping others are not spared.

But good deeds cannot be killed. " The Israeli campaign in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. At least 73,118 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures the UN regards as reliable.

As of late April the UN had recorded at least 593 humanitarian workers killed in Gaza since the war began, including eight since the ceasefire ten months earlier.