Two aid workers were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza on Saturday, with Israel claiming that one of them was a militant who took part in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. The first victim was a member of World Central Kitchen, who was hit in a vehicle in Khan Younis in Southern Gaza. The Israeli military said that he had taken part in the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel and was under surveillance, but did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
The family of the man, Ahed Azmi Qdeih, denied the Israeli allegations, saying that he was an engineer who dedicated his life to charitable work. World Central Kitchen confirmed the airstrike and said it had no knowledge about an employee involved in the October 7, 2023 attack.
A second aid worker, Ahmad Faisal Isleem Al-Qadi, a 39-year-old staffer for Save the Children, was also killed in an airstrike in Khan Younis. The Israeli military has not commented on the death.
In addition to the aid workers, at least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave overnight and into Saturday, including seven killed in a strike on a house in central Gaza City. The Israeli military says that it does not target civilians and accuses Hamas of operating from civilian facilities and using Gaza’s population as human shields, which Hamas denies.
Leaders of Hamas are expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon. The visit is the first since the United States announced earlier this week it would revive efforts in collaboration with Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza.
The conflict in Gaza has killed at least 44,382 people and displaced nearly all of the enclave’s population at least once, Gaza officials say. Vast swathes of Gaza lie in ruins, and the conflict was triggered more than 13 months ago when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities, killing about 1,200 people and abducting over 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.