Israeli strike kills Gaza aid worker organising FIFA World Cup screenings shortly before Egypt-Argentina clash

An Israeli strike in Gaza prior to the kickoff of the FIFA World Cup clash between Argentina and Egypt killed a top Palestinian aid official who helped organise screenings of the game across the strip, according to media reports.

The Associated Press said the blast that killed Mohamed al-Wahidi, an official with Egypt’s relief arm in Gaza, turned “what was supposed to be a moment of celebration — the live screening of a potential upset against Argentina by an Arab team — into a reminder of how the near-daily Israeli strikes are continuing to kill civilians despite a truce reached in October”.

The report also quoted Dr Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital, as saying that the strike that killed al-Wahidi on Tuesday hit a car in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City at dusk.

He said three others were killed in the attack, including the driver, Ahmed Daghmush, 33, and two brothers, 10-year-old Hamza al-Deri and 8-year-old Fari,

According to the publication, the Israeli military said that al-Wahidi was not the target of the strike.

“It said the attack was aimed at a Hamas militant and that it was checking whether Daghmush was the target. Dr Abu Selmiya said he was a taxi driver without any known links to militant groups,” it stated.

The committee for which al-Wahidi worked is the relief arm of the Egyptian government, which provides food, shelter and other assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, it added.

Meanwhile, the Guardian reported that Gaza’s Sabra district was hit around an hour before the match commenced.

It quoted Wahidi’s cousin as saying that he was “widely loved and had a strong presence at family and community gatherings”, and was known for supporting people in need.

Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes in Gaza since a US-mediated ceasefire with the Palestinian group Hamas was reached last October.

At least 1,084 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Additional input from AFP and Reuters ...