Israel’s killing of UN employee in Rafah ‘breach of regulations,’ army probe finds

Israeli army forces breached regulations and mistakenly killed a UN employee in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip last week, a military investigation found on Thursday.

On May 13, a staff member employed by the UN Department of Safety and Security was killed and another injured after their vehicle came under fire in Rafah while traveling to the European Hospital near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

An army investigation cited by Haaretz newspaper claimed that the UN vehicle was moving on a road where travel was prohibited without prior coordination with the Israeli military.

The UN vehicle came under attack multiple times contrary to protocols that mandate extra caution in incidents involving humanitarian aid workers, the probe found.

The investigation revealed that the vehicle was marked with the letters UN on its roof, but had no identifying markings on its sides or in places that could be seen from the ground.

Last month, seven aid workers from the U.S.-based World Central Kitchen were killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza. The Israeli army admitted that the attack was in "serious violation" of military procedures.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in the enclave.

At least 35,800 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority of whom have been women and children, and 80,200 others injured since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.