The Gaza Strip Civil Defense announced on Saturday that three humanitarian workers were killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis (south), while the Israeli army stated it had targeted "a terrorist."
The humanitarian workers, all Palestinians, were employed by the American NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK), according to the Civil Defense. The humanitarian organization, which lost seven staff members in April in Gaza, had not immediately responded to inquiries.
The Israeli army stated in a press release that it had conducted a strike on "a vehicle carrying a terrorist involved in the October 7 massacre," adding that "the claim that the terrorist was also a WCK worker is under investigation."
According to Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense, "at least five martyrs were transferred, including three WCK employees," following an Israeli airstrike on a car traveling along Salaheddine’s main road in northeastern Khan Younis.
He added that the three humanitarian workers "were hit while driving (...) a jeep belonging to WCK in Khan Younis, despite the vehicle being clearly marked with the NGO’s logo."
On this point, the Israeli army indicated that the car targeted was "an unmarked civilian vehicle" and that its movement was not coordinated for the transport of aid.
On April 1, seven humanitarian workers from the organization founded by renowned chef José Andrés were killed in a series of three Israeli strikes on their convoy in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army later acknowledged a series of errors at various levels.
On April 28, the NGO announced the resumption of its operations in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, it stated on a social media platform that it was working with a bakery in southern Gaza to produce 23,000 loaves of bread daily in a territory devastated by over a year of war and threatened with famine, according to the UN.
With AFP
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