Doctors Without Borders claimed that members of its staff, clad in vests marked with its logo, were killed while waiting for a bus to a nearby field hospital
October 6, 2025 10:39
The IDF has confirmed that it is investigating reports that members of Doctors Without Borders' (MSF) staff were killed in a recent airstrike on Gaza.
The humanitarian group said that Abed El Hameed Qaradaya, 43, was hit by shrapnel and fatally wounded, while Omar Hayek was killed in the impact as a group of volunteers waited for a bus to a nearby field hospital.
Several others, whom the organisation claimed were wearing marked MSF vests, were also reportedly injured.
A military spokesperson said that the strike targeted Hamas operatives, but added: "Reports were received of a local Palestinian employee of an international organisation who was killed, along with several local employees who were injured
"The details of the incident are under investigation."
They also condemned Hamas for "embedding itself in the civilian population and exploiting it as a human shield for terror purposes".
According to MSF, El Hameed is the fifteenth staff member to be killed in Gaza since the start of the war, and the third in as many weeks.
A spokesperson from the organisation said: “His loss is immense and has a tragic impact on his loved ones, MSF and the health system in Gaza.
"For 18 years, Abed El Hameed was a cornerstone of MSF’s physiotherapy department in Gaza. He was a unique and invaluable specialist in both physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
"We are profoundly grieved and outraged by the loss of our colleagues.”
It also called the strike “a stark reminder of the pattern of complete disregard for civilian lives and human dignity”, but Israel insisted that troops had taken steps to mitigate civilian casualties during the strike.
It comes after President Trump warned of “massive bloodshed” if Hamas does not agree to fully implement his 20-point peace plan in the near future.
Delegations from both Israel and Hamas met in Cairo on Monday for talks mediated by Egyptian officials but no resolution has yet been announced.
Israel confirmed it had accepted Trump’s “comprehensive” plan for “eternal peace” last week during a joint press conference between the US leader and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The key points include a withdrawal of the IDF to a “buffer zone” before a permanent pull-out once Gaza is demilitarised, the release of all hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a new technocratic governance structure overseen by a “Board of Peace” and the complete disarmament and dismantling of Hamas.
For its part, the terror group has accepted the hostage-prisoner exchange, but declined to commit to giving up governmental authority or its military capabilities.
Hamas leadership are understood to be insistent that a complete IDF withdrawal from the Strip and a commitment from Jerusalem not to restart the war in the future be agreed before any demilitarisation.
Commenting on the discussion in Egypt, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “We'll know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics.”
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