Israel is (still) killing aid workers in Gaza
Palestinians bid farewell to the body of Majdi Mustafa Aslan at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, who was killed by Israeli army fire while driving a World Health Organization medical evacuation convoy in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, 6 April 2026
Tareq S. Hajjaj reports in Mondoweiss on 20 April 2026:
Majdi Aslan, 54, was driving a truck for the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) on April 6 when the Israeli army killed him in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. Aslan was the main driver in a WHO convoy that was transporting injured Palestinian patients from Gaza to Egypt and other countries. The convoy already had its coordinated permit from the Israeli army to move, as per protocol. The Israeli army intercepted the convoy on the main Salah al-Din road, fired at the driver, and blocked the convoy from moving.
Raed Aslan, another WHO worker who was part of the convoy, told Mondoweiss from al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah that the truck was clearly marked with the WHO’s logo on the front, sides, and rear of the vehicle. “No vehicle passes through without official coordination with the Israeli side,” he said. “Three people were in the vehicle when the Israeli tank intercepted.”
“He paid the price of our humanitarian work,” Aslan added.
The convoy was carrying 17 patients who were turned back to hospitals in Gaza after the incident. Dr. Fathi Lulu, at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, told Mondoweiss that the targeting of WHO employees will negatively impact the WHO’s ability to coordinate medical evacuations in the future.
Seven months into the so-called “ceasefire,” Israel continues to restrict the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza while killing civilians in airstrikes and border incidents on a daily basis. Among the dead have been women, children, aid workers, and journalists.