O Israeli army had stated “not having been informed of the vehicle’s route”, which was in an “ongoing combat zone”.
In Geneva, United Nations spokesman Rolando Gomez indicated that “the UN informs the Israeli authorities of the movements of all (its) convoys”, as “is the case in all theaters of operations”.
“That’s what happened yesterday [segunda-feira] in the morning, so we kept you informed. It was a clearly identified UN vehicle”, assured the spokesperson, at a press conference, adding that this is a “clear example of the fact that, at this moment, there is no safe place in Gaza”.
Gomez also reported that the fatal victim was an Indian citizen who was part of the United Nations Security and Protection Service (UNDSS). This was the first death of an international UN employee in Palestinian territory since the start of the war, on October 7, 2023.
According to the UN, another member of the UNDSS was also hit by gunfire and suffered injuries. The same source stated that the vehicle was hit on the way to the European hospital in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Contacted by the French agency AFP, the Israeli army sent a statement that appeared to have been written on Monday, in which it stated that the UNDSS had informed it of the facts.
“We are currently investigating the matter,” added the same source.
The UN spokesperson in Geneva also stated that the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, had “called for a full investigation” into this case.
“We want those responsible to be held accountable. (…). International humanitarian workers are not targets. These attacks must stop,” he said.
Several Palestinian United Nations employees have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, and the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has already announced that it has lost 188 of its 13,000 employees in the enclave.
The current conflict was triggered after an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in October 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive that has already caused more than 35,000 deaths and 79,000 injuries, according to Hamas, which has controlled the Palestinian enclave since 2007.
Israeli retaliation is causing a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more than 1.1 million people in a “situation of catastrophic hunger” that is already claiming victims – “the highest number ever recorded” by the UN in studies on food security in the world.
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2560508/onu-diz-ter-informado-israel-sobre-trajeto-de-veiculo-atingido-em-gaza
