Israel says it has killed a suspect in the October 7 attack who was working for a US charity

Nidal al-Mughrabi, Adam Makary and Menna AlaaElDin
| Reuters

CAIRO, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Israel’s military said on Saturday it had killed a militant who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel and who it said was employed by a U.S. charity, World Central Kitchen, in Gaza.

The military offered no evidence, and Reuters could not independently verify the man’s identity and whether he took part in the attack on Israel last year.

World Central Kitchen confirmed the airstrike and said it was not aware of an employee involved in the October 7 attack.

“We are heartbroken to say that a vehicle carrying World Central Kitchen colleagues was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza,” it said in a statement posted on X. “World Central Kitchen was unaware that any individuals in the vehicle would alleged links to the Hamas attack on October 7”.

The charity group said it was suspending operations in Gaza, adding that it was working with incomplete information and was urgently seeking more details.

Hamas did not immediately comment.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that three charity workers were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a vehicle in Khan Younis. southern Gaza. Doctors said a total of five people were killed.

In a later attack in Khan Younis, medics said at least nine Palestinians were killed when an Israeli airstrike hit a car near a crowd receiving flour, a vehicle that was used by security personnel tasked with overseeing deliveries of aid in Gaza.

The Israeli military says it is not targeting civilians and accuses Hamas of operating from civilian installations and using Gaza’s population as human shields, which the group denies.

At least 32 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the enclave overnight and on Saturday, Gaza medics said, including seven killed in a strike on a house in central Gaza City, according to Gaza officials.

New ceasefire efforts

Meanwhile, Hamas leaders were expected to arrive in Cairo on Saturday for ceasefire talks with Egyptian officials, days after Israel and Hezbollah agreed on a deal. ceasefire in Lebanontwo officials of the group told Reuters.

The visit is the first since the United States announced earlier this week that it would resume efforts with Qatar, Egypt and Turkey to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza.

The Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian security officials to explore ways to reach a cease-fire agreement with Israel that could secure the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Progress so far has been limited in a series of on-and-off talks over the course of months.

Hamas is seeking an agreement to end the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war will only end when Hamas is eradicated.

Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 44,382 people and displaced nearly the enclave’s entire population at least once, Gaza officials say. Vast stretches of Gaza lie in ruins.

The conflict was sparked 13 months ago when Hamas-led militants attacked communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

(Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Adam Makary and Menna Alaa in Cairo and Emily Rose in Jerusalem; Additional reporting by Lucia Mutikani in Washington Editing by Toby Chopra, Frances Kerry and Diane Craft)