Aid worker who organised World Cup screenings in Gaza killed in Israeli strike

A Palestinian aid worker who had organised screenings of World Cup matches in Gaza was killed by an Israeli missile strike just before the game between Egypt and Argentina on Tuesday evening.Two brothers aged eight and 10 and another man who was in the street near the site of the attack were also killed.Mohamed al-Wahidi, 57, the director of the Egyptian Committee in Gaza, had worked for years on aid and development projects in the Palestinian territory. More recently, he had organised the screening of World Cup games across the Gaza Strip, which had become a welcome diversion from the continuing misery of a very partially observed ceasefire, near daily Israeli strikes and while severe restrictions on humanitarian aid remain in place.The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying al-Wahidi had not been its intended target, and that the missile had been aimed at a “terrorist in Hamas’ military wing”.Palestinians carry the body of Mohamed al-Wahidi out of the Great Omari mosque in Gaza City after his funeral. Photograph: Yousef Al Zanoun/APThe Sabra district of Gaza City was hit about an hour before kick-off in the World Cup match that al-Wahidi had helped make accessible to people in the city, who turned out in large numbers to support Egypt. According to his family, he had been in a taxi on the way to a screening of the match in Tel al-Hawa in southern Gaza City when a missile hit the car he was in.His driver was reported to have survived, but at least three other people on the street near the car were killed, including the brothers Fari and Hamza al-Deri, who were on their way home from playing football.“We were gathered at a family event when we heard an explosion and were told that a car had been hit on al-Maghribi Street,” al-Wahidi’s cousin, Abd Alkhaleq al-Wahidi, said. “When I arrived, medical crews had already recovered the bodies of a child and an unidentified man, while another young man was lying on the ground with injuries. Someone at the scene told me that one of my relatives had been critically injured and might have died.Mohamed al-Wahidi. Photograph: Egyptian Committee in Gaza“The first moments after learning of Mohamed’s death were extremely difficult,” he said. “He was widely loved and had a strong presence at family and community gatherings. He was known for his public speaking skills and was often chosen to speak at local events. He was known for helping people and supporting families in need.”The fourth victim of the strike was Ahmed Daghmush, 30, who was in a relative’s house near the blast when he was hit by shrapnel.Daghmush’s cousin, Ashour, said: “A piece of shrapnel struck him in the back and pierced his lungs. At first, he didn’t realise he had been seriously injured, but when he noticed the bleeding, people rushed him to the hospital, where he died of his wounds a short time later.“He was a kind and respectful young man who worked hard to provide for his family. He loved joking and laughing with everyone and was well-liked by his relatives and neighbours.”A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said al-Wahidi had not been the target of the strike.“Yesterday, the IDF struck a terrorist in Hamas’ military wing while he was traveling in a vehicle in the northern Gaza Strip,” they said. “The IDF is aware of the claim that uninvolved civilians were harmed as a result of the strike. The incident is under review. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and takes all feasible measures to mitigate such harm.”The spokesperson had no further comment on whether the intended target had been killed or injured.More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military action since the US-brokered ceasefire was declared in October, and nearly 3,500 wounded. The Israeli army still directly occupies more than 60% of the Gaza Strip, no significant reconstruction has been allowed, leaving civilian infrastructure and health and education services in ruins.A UN independent commission of enquiry said in a report last month that Palestinian children were deliberately targeted and killed by Israel during the ‌war, including the period after the ceasefire. The overall Palestinian death toll since the war started in October 2023 is more than 73,000.