Retired indian army officer working with UN killed in Gaza attack
The United Nations has launched an investigation into an Israeli attack on a UN vehicle in Rafah on Monday that killed its first international staff member in Gaza since October 7, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General said.
According to the Times of Israel newspaper, the employee, retired Indian Army officer Vaibhav Anil Kale, works with the United Nations Department of Safety and Security and was on his way to the European Hospital in Rafah with a colleague, who was also injured in the attack.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the United Nations announced the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the attack that led to the death of one of its employees and the injury of another in Palestinian Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
A car bearing the United Nations logo was targeted on Monday, drawing swift condemnation from international leaders. Initial assessments indicate that the fatal bullet was fired from a tank in the neighbourhood and hit the back of the United Nations vehicle, according to United Nations Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq.
Discussions are underway with the Israeli authorities to determine the circumstances of the attack and the nature of the explosion, which led to the death of an Indian employee and the injury of another Jordanian.
This is the first time that an international United Nations employee has been killed in Gaza. The injured employee was transferred from Jordan to the hospital, and both worked for the United Nations Department of Safety and Security.
The United Nations confirmed on Tuesday that it had informed the Israeli authorities of the movement of the vehicle carrying UN employees, which was exposed to gunfire in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, on Monday, leading to the death of an Indian employee.
On Monday, the United Nations announced the killing of one of its security personnel in an attack on a vehicle in Gaza, which is the first incident that has witnessed the killing of an international employee of the organisation in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war more than seven months ago.
United Nations spokesman Rolando Gomez said during a press conference that the dead employee was an Indian citizen. The Indian Mission to the United Nations in New York stressed its deep sorrow. It said: We are deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Vaibhav Kale, who was working in the United Nations Department of Safety and Security in Gaza.
According to Gomez, a second employee from the same department was in the vehicle at the time of the attack and was injured, noting that they were on their way to the European Hospital in Rafah when their car was hit.
Gomez explained: The United Nations informs the Israeli authorities of the movement of all our convoys. This is the case in any theatre of operations, which is an approved operating procedure.
According to Gomez, This applies to yesterday (Monday). We informed them, and the vehicle had a clear United Nations tag. The UN spokesman added: This is clear evidence that there is no safe place in Gaza at present.
The Israeli army said on Tuesday that the preliminary investigation conducted indicates that the vehicle was hit in an active combat zone, and the military confirmed that it was not aware of the vehicle’s path, indicating that the incident is under review, without specifying who was behind the attack.
According to Gomez, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for a comprehensive investigation. He added: We want accountability, which is the investigation’s ultimate goal. Humanitarian workers are not targets, so such attacks must be put to an end.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reports that 188 of its local employees, out of 13,000 employees in the Gaza Strip, were killed during the war.
Through his account on the “X” platform, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote: “No one is safe in Gaza, including aid workers.”
