Gaza aid coordinator Mohammed al-Wahidi killed in Israeli air strike in Gaza City

The Egyptian Relief Committee said Mohammed al-Wahidi, a 65-year-old senior aid official, was killed by an Israeli missile that struck the taxi he was travelling in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City on Tuesday, killing three others including two boys aged eight and 10.

Al-Wahidi, who had been an English teacher before the war, became a prominent coordinator for the Egypt-backed committee, overseeing emergency food distributions and the setup of camps for displaced families during the conflict, the committee and social media posts documenting his work said.

Witnesses and volunteers described him as a familiar presence at aid distribution points and displacement shelters because he preferred to work in the field rather than from an office, helping to address immediate needs of displaced people across the Gaza Strip.

Social media quickly filled with photographs and videos of al-Wahidi and messages of condolence from people who said they had encountered him during aid deliveries or at camps, reflecting his recognisable role in humanitarian operations.

The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas operative and acknowledged claims that uninvolved individuals may have been killed, without providing further details; the strike came hours before a public viewing of the Argentina-Egypt World Cup match that al-Wahidi had helped organise.

In recent weeks al-Wahidi had helped arrange public screenings of World Cup matches in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and al-Mawasi to provide brief relief for families and children amid the war, and videos of crowds watching matches near damaged buildings circulated widely online.

Humanitarian workers in Gaza face continuing danger: the UN had recorded at least 593 aid workers killed since the war began, including eight since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ten months ago, according to UN data cited by agencies.

The wider conflict began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which the Israeli military says prompted its campaign in Gaza; Gaza health ministry figures report at least 73,118 people killed in Israeli attacks since then.