The charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) has said it is pausing its operations in Gaza after a vehicle carrying its staff members was hit by an Israeli air strike.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the target of the strike had taken part in the 7 October attacks on Israel and was currently employed by the WCK ,according to a BBC report.
WCK said it was “heartbroken to share” that a vehicle carrying staff had been hit and it was seeking more details, though it denied any knowledge of anyone in the car having ties to the October 7 attacks.
Palestinian state-run news agency Wafa reported that five people were killed in the strike in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Saturday, with three of them WCK employees.
They included the director of WCK’s kitchens in Gaza, the agency added.
Separately, British aid agency Save the Children said one of its staff members was also killed on Saturday afternoon in Khan Younis.
Ahmad Faisal Isleem Al-Qadi, 39, had been returning home to his wife and three-year-old daughter from a mosque when he was killed, the charity added.
“Ahmad, who was deaf, will be remembered for his determination to help others, for his pride in his daughter, and for his ability to brighten others’ days”, Save the Children said in a statement.
It is unclear whether he was killed in the same strike as the WCK employees. Save the Children say there were two strikes in Khan Younis on Saturday, but the BBC claimed it has not been able to verify this.
