Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stopped medical evacuations from Gaza to Egypt after an Israeli military action led to the death of a WHO contractor named Majdi Aslan. The incident happened when Israeli troops fired at an unmarked vehicle, mistaking it for a threat. The Rafah crossing, a key route for patient transfers, had been reopened recently as part of a ceasefire deal.
Key Facts
- The WHO suspended medical evacuations from Gaza after a contractor was killed by Israeli troops.
- The contractor, Majdi Aslan, was driving a WHO-rented vehicle when it was fired upon.
- Israeli troops shot at the vehicle, believing it posed a threat, and the situation is under review.
- The Rafah crossing to Egypt had been open for limited movement since an October ceasefire deal.
- Majdi Aslan was transporting patients in a convoy marked with the WHO logo at the time.
- More than 18,000 patients in Gaza are waiting to leave for treatment, according to the WHO.
- The Israeli military and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
- Since the ceasefire began, 733 Palestinians in Gaza and five Israeli soldiers have been killed.
