Foreign worker killed, 5 injured in Israeli strike on UN facility in Gaza

No details provided about nationalities of targeted personnel

GAZA CITY, Palestine

A foreign worker was killed, and five others were seriously injured in an Israeli strike targeting a UN-affiliated facility in central Gaza, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

The ministry statement, however, did not provide any details about their nationalities.

According to an Anadolu reporter, the targeted personnel were part of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

Images circulating on social media showed UN personnel receiving first aid after the Israeli attack.

"This crime adds to the occupation's record of violations and crimes against humanity," Gaza’s government media office said in a statement.

It said the Israeli attack on the UN personnel “reflects Israel's insistence on undermining humanitarian work and obstructing relief efforts in the besieged Gaza Strip."

“Israel is deliberately targeting these institutions to prevent them from performing their duty to provide relief to Palestinians facing catastrophic conditions due to the ongoing aggression,” it added.

The media office urged the UN to take “immediate action” to hold Israel accountable for its assault against civilians and humanitarian workers in Gaza, calling for "an urgent international investigation into this crime."

There was no immediate comment from the UN.

At least 436 Palestinians were killed and over 670 others injured in renewed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Tuesday, in one of the biggest single-day tolls since the start of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023. The attacks shattered a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that lasted nearly two months.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.