The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced late Monday to Tuesday that four foreign aid workers and their Palestinian driver were killed by an Israeli strike targeting their armored vehicle in central Gaza. The ministry stated in a report that five fatalities, "including foreigners, arrived at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah" after they died "in an Israeli airstrike targeting an armored vehicle in western Deir al-Balah belonging to the American organization World Central Kitchen."
The Hamas government media office announced that the deceased included "four foreigners, three holding British, Australian, and Polish nationalities, while the fourth's nationality is unknown, along with the driver, a Palestinian translator named Saif Issam Abu Taha."
The Israeli military announced that it is conducting a high-level review of the circumstances surrounding what it described as a "tragic incident" involving employees of World Central Kitchen in Gaza. It added that it "works closely with World Central Kitchen in their vital efforts to provide food and humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," according to their claims.
For its part, World Central Kitchen stated in a report: "We are aware of reports that members of the World Central Kitchen team were killed in an attack by the Israeli army while working to support our humanitarian efforts to deliver food to Gaza. It is a tragedy. Humanitarian workers and civilians should never be targeted. Never. We will share more information once we gather all the facts."
Earlier, eyewitnesses told the World Arab News Agency that at least three foreigners working with the international relief organization World Central Kitchen were killed on Monday evening after their vehicle was targeted in Deir al-Balah. Eyewitnesses also confirmed the death of a Palestinian driver working for the organization, which is based in Washington, and that the search for other victims is ongoing.
Witnesses reported finding British, Polish, and Australian passports believed to belong to the victims. It is worth noting that World Central Kitchen is a nonprofit organization focused on food security and providing food assistance to displaced individuals in the Gaza Strip.
