The World Health Organization has suspended medical evacuations from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing after a contractor was killed by Israeli troops on Monday.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the contractor – named locally as Majdi Aslan, 54 – was killed in a security incident and that two staff were present but not injured. He gave no further details.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry stated the contractor was driving a WHO-rented vehicle in southern Gaza when it was targeted by Israeli forces.
Israel's military reported that its troops identified an unmarked vehicle approaching them and the Yellow Line, posing an immediate threat, referring to the line marking Israeli-held territory.
In response, the troops fired warning shots. The vehicle continued to accelerate toward the troops, who then responded with additional fire that hit the vehicle. The incident is under review.
Tedros announced the suspension of medical evacuations of sick and wounded Palestinians from Gaza via Rafah to Egypt until further notice. We call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, he added.
Hanan Balkhy, the WHO's regional director, described the killing of the contractor as a devastating loss and warned that the suspension of medical evacuations was cutting off a critical pathway to care for patients.
At al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza, a colleague of Majdi Aslan articulated that the vehicle was clearly marked with the WHO's logo and that it had been leading a coordinated convoy transporting patients to the Rafah crossing when it came under fire.
Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreed upon nearly six months ago. At least 733 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began on October 10, while the Israeli military reports that five of its soldiers have been killed in attacks by Palestinian groups during the same period.
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