The United Nations said a staff member was killed when one of its convoys was attacked in Rafah on Monday. It was the first time a UN international staff member was killed in Gaza since the conflict began in October.
The convoy, which the U.N. said was clearly marked with the organization’s emblem, was headed to the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Younis to assess the aid and security situation when it was attacked, according to U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq. .
Another staff member was injured in the attack, the UN said.
The nationality of the slain worker, a man, was not immediately announced. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the injured staff member, a woman, was Jordanian and said the incident was “a result of Israel’s expansion of military operations in Rafah,” adding that Jordan “makes “Israel responsible for this.”
The Israeli military said it had carried out an initial investigation that found “that the vehicle was hit in an area declared an active combat zone” and that its forces “had not been informed of the vehicle’s route.” He said the incident was still under review.
In addition to the more than 35,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s war against Hamas, according to Gaza health authorities, the conflict has been the deadliest for the UN in its history. More than 190 U.N. staff have been killed, Haq said, all Palestinians except the staffer killed on Monday.
“Humanitarian workers must be protected”, António Guterres, UN Secretary general, he said in a social media post. “I condemn all attacks against UN personnel and reiterate my urgent call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”
A senior U.N. official, who was briefed on the incident by security officials in Gaza, said an initial assessment indicated that the convoy was not attacked from the air and was not caught in crossfire.
The convoy was traveling its morning route in U.N.-marked vehicles when it came under direct attack, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the United Nations had not yet released a public report on the incident.
Heavy fighting continued on Monday in Gaza City, Jabaliya and Rafah, the southern city where more than a million people fled to try to escape Israel’s military offensive. Haq said 360,000 people have fled Rafah since Israel issued an evacuation order a week ago.
“We remain deeply concerned about the lack of protection of civilians and the lack of security for humanitarian operations,” Haq said. “Civilians must be protected and their basic needs met, whether they move or stay.”
Dr. James Smith, a British emergency specialist who was traveling between medical facilities in southern Gaza on Monday, said via text message that he had visited the European Hospital in Gaza earlier that day. Dr. Smith said the emergency room was busy with screaming patients and medical staff running through the hallways.
He said there was very little help available for displaced people seeking shelter and the scenes around the hospital were heartbreaking.
“Khan Younis has been decimated,” Dr. Smith said.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that the Israeli raid on Rafah had endangered health services, with aid workers unable to deliver life-saving medical supplies.
Haq said the lack of fuel entering Gaza remains one of the main challenges to humanitarian aid work. Hospital generators require at least 46,000 liters of fuel per day, and the need for fuel will only increase as the fighting in Rafah expands, Haq said.
Anushka Patil contributed with reports.