US charity World Central Kitchen said on Saturday it was “pausing operations in Gaza at this time” after an Israeli air strike hit a vehicle carrying its workers.
The Israeli military confirmed that a Palestinian employee of WCK was killed in a strike, accusing the worker of being a “terrorist” who “infiltrated Israel and took part in the murderous October 7 massacre” last year.
WCK in a statement said it “had no knowledge that any individual in the vehicle had alleged ties to the October 7 Hamas attack”, and did not confirm any deaths.
Earlier Saturday, Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that five people were killed, including “three employees of World Central Kitchen”, in the strike in the main southern city of Khan Younis.
“All three men worked for WCK and they were hit while driving in a WCK jeep in Khan Younis,” Bassal said, adding that the vehicle had been “marked with its logo clearly visible”.
WCK confirmed a strike had hit its workers, but added: “At this time, we are working with incomplete information and are urgently seeking more details.”