Israel kills aid workers in Gaza strikes as family of slain World Central Kitchen employee denies militant ties

The Israeli army claims to have killed an extremist who was involved in Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. and who they say was employed by the World Central Kitchen charity in the Gaza Strip.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that three employees of World Central Kitchen were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a civilian vehicle in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the enclave.

The man’s family, Ahed Azmi Kdeih, said the Israeli accusations were false and intended to justify his unlawful killing. They said he was an engineer who devoted his life to charitable work.

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The military said he was involved in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel and was under surveillance, but did not provide any evidence. Reuters could not independently confirm whether he was involved in the attack last year.

World Central Kitchen said it was suspending operations in the Gaza Strip, adding that it was working with incomplete information and was urgently seeking more details.

Medics in the enclave said a total of five people were killed in the strike, which they said targeted a vehicle east of Khan Younis.

In a later attack in Khan Younis, medics said at least nine Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a car near a crowd receiving flour, a vehicle that was being used by security officials tasked with monitoring the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.

Later in the day, international aid agency Save the Children also said in a statement that a 39-year-old staff member, identified as Ahmad Faisal Islam Al-Qadi, was killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis.

It is unclear whether the two men were killed in the same strike. Israel did not immediately comment on Save the Children’s statement.

“There are no words strong enough to express the grief and outrage we feel at the loss of Ahmad in an Israeli airstrike. He was a valued member of our team and loved by all who met him,” Inger Asching, chief executive of Save the Children, said in the statement.

Israel’s military has rejected accusations that it is deliberately targeting civilians in its campaign in Gaza, accusing Hamas of operating from civilian facilities and using civilians as shields, which the group denies.

In all, at least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the enclave overnight and on Saturday, Gaza medics said.

Among them, at least seven were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in central Gaza City, according to a statement by the Gaza Civil Defense and WAFA early Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hamas leaders are expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a cease-fire in Lebanon, two officials of the group told Reuters.

The visit is the first since the United States announced earlier this week that it would resume efforts in cooperation with Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza.

The Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian security officials to explore ways to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel that could secure the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Progress so far has been limited to a series of talks over months.

Hamas is seeking an agreement to end the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war will only end when Hamas is destroyed.

Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 44,382 people and displaced nearly the enclave’s entire population at least once, Gaza officials say.

Vast parts of the Gaza Strip lie in ruins.

The conflict was sparked 13 months ago when militants led by Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.