First foreign aid worker killed in Gaza identified as Indian national

An Indian man has become the first international casualty for the United Nations in Gaza since October 7 after the vehicle he was travelling in was attacked in Rafah.

Waibhav Anil Kale, 46, who began working with the UN last month as a security coordinator in Gaza, was killed on Monday.

Another UN staff member was injured in the attack.

Although a UN statement did not confirm his identity, the Press Trust of India said he was Indian and a former member of the Indian army.

“The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a staff member of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) and the injury of another DSS staff member when their vehicle “The UN was hit on their way to the European hospital in Rafah this morning,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“As the conflict in Gaza continues to claim heavy casualties – not only among civilians but also among humanitarian workers – the Secretary-General reiterates his urgent call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” the statement added.

The UN staff was killed while traveling in a vehicle from Rafah to the European Hospital located southwest of Khan Younis.

The Washington Post said the incident was currently under investigation. It cited sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that no conclusive information on the identity of the person who shot at the vehicle was available at this time.

Mr. Haq was quoted as saying that the UN had informed “the Israeli side of the movement of all our convoys. These are all vehicles clearly identified by the UN.”

Meanwhile, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said the army had not been informed of the vehicle's route and that the incident was “under review.”

Since October 7 last year, 191 UN workers, mostly Palestinians, have lost their lives in Gaza, including the most recent casualty reported on Monday, according to Olga Cherevno, a spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Between 7 October 2023 and 12 May 2024, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 35,000 Palestinians lost their lives and more than 78,000 were injured in Gaza.

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reacting to the news of the death of a UN staff member on Monday, said: “We are devastated to learn of the death of one UN aid worker and the injury of another in #Gaza today.

“Too many civilian and humanitarian lives have paid the price of this war.

“Ceasefire and work for peace.”

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), around 360,000 people have evacuated Rafah since they received the first evacuation directive a week ago. Among them, many have been displaced multiple times over the past seven months.

Meanwhile, evacuation directives issued last Saturday for northern Gaza, amid continued Israeli bombardment, have resulted in the displacement of around 100,000 people so far.