The United Nations vehicle carrying two passengers, including an ex-Indian Army officer, in Gaza Strip's Rafah, was apparently hit by shots from a tank operating in the area, a senior official of the world body said on Tuesday.
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Colonel (retired) Waibhav Anil Kale was killed in the strike. The 46-year-old, who took premature retirement from the army in 2022, was a Security Coordinator in the UN's Department of Safety and Security (DSS), having joined just two months ago.
“The weapon appears to have impacted the back of the white vehicle that was carrying the two staff members. The other passenger, a female staff member of the DSS, is receiving medical attention, and we believe she will make it through,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at a press meet, responding to a question from PTI.
When asked by the news agency if only Israeli tanks are in the region, Haq responded in the affirmative.
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“I think that is a safe assumption to make, yes. At this stage, we are in no doubt about where the shots came from, as much as what the circumstances were. We are in discussions with Israel to determine exactly how this incident happened and the nature of what happened,” he stated.
{{/usCountry}}“I think that is a safe assumption to make, yes. At this stage, we are in no doubt about where the shots came from, as much as what the circumstances were. We are in discussions with Israel to determine exactly how this incident happened and the nature of what happened,” he stated.
{{/usCountry}}The UN has established a fact-finding panel to investigate the attack, he added.
Colonel (retired) Waibhav Kale is UN's “first international casualty" in Gaza, Haq noted, adding that currently, as many as 71 international staff members of the United Nations, are in Gaza.
What is Israel's response on the killing?
Without attributing any responsibility, an initial inquiry conducted by the Israeli military indicates that the vehicle was hit in area declared as an “active combat zone,” and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) were "not made aware of the route of the vehicle,” AFP reported.
The IDF recently began an offensive in Rafah against Hamas, the Islamist group responsible for last October's terrorist attacks in the Jewish State.