close
close

First international UN staffer killed in attack in Gaza

A U.N. security official was killed in an attack on a vehicle in Gaza on Monday, a spokesman said, adding that he was the first international U.N. staffer killed in Palestinian territory since the start of the war.

UN chief Antonio Guterres “was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Security and Security (DSS) employee and the injury of another DSS employee when their UN vehicle was en route to the European Hospital in Rafah was hit,” said his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

It…

A U.N. security official was killed in an attack on a vehicle in Gaza on Monday, a spokesman said, adding that he was the first international U.N. staffer killed in Palestinian territory since the start of the war.

UN chief Antonio Guterres “was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Security and Security (DSS) employee and the injury of another DSS employee when their UN vehicle was en route to the European Hospital in Rafah was hit,” said his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

It was “the first international casualty” for the UN since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began in retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack, Haq said, recalling that about 190 Palestinian UN staff were killed, mostly Palestinian employees UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA).

“The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation,” Haq said.

The spokesman did not initially disclose the nationality of the person killed.

Advertisement – ​​Scroll to continue


“I don’t know exactly whether it was part of a large convoy or not. I believe it was a convoy that was moving and this was the DSS vehicle that was hit,” he said.

The DSS monitors the security of UN organizations and programs in more than 130 countries worldwide.

ab/mdl/bgs