WHO driver killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza

Thursday, April 9, 2026 - A Palestinian man working for the UN Health body, the World Health Organization was killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza on Monday, April 6, according to his colleagues and a doctor who received his body.

According to Dr. Fathi Al-Loulou, Majdi Aslan, 54, was driving an “internationally assigned vehicle with international markings” along Salah al-Din Road, the main north-south street in Gaza, when it came under fire.

Another WHO employee, Raed Aslan, told CNN that the vehicle was on its way to evacuate patients when it was struck. He revealed that the vehicle was marked with the World Health Organization logo “from all sides”.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in a statement, did not acknowledge the death, giving a differing account of the incident.

It said its troops “identified an unmarked vehicle approaching them and the Yellow Line, posing an immediate threat,” referring to the boundary between Israeli-controlled Gaza and the rest of the strip.

“In response, the troops fired warning shots. The vehicle continued to accelerate toward the troops, who then responded with additional fire that hit the vehicle. A preliminary check indicated that two local Gazan employees of the WHO were present in the vehicle and injured,” the statement added.

WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesu said the organization was “devastated” to confirm Aslan’s death in a “security incident,” noting that two WHO staffers were present but not injured.

Ghebreyesu did not name Israeli forces in the statement. “The incident is under investigation by the relevant authorities,” he said.

Aslan’s body was transferred to Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza,with footage on social media showing grief-stricken men crowding around him.

“Wake up, dad, wake up!” one man shouted in disbelief.

“He works for an international organization, under international sponsorship, but the occupation is merciless and indiscriminate…it was a targeted attack,” Al-Loulou said, calling it a war crime

This month marks six months since a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, a pause that aid organizations say exists in name only.

Since the ceasefire began, over 700 Palestinians have been killed, including at least 100 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

According to the WHO, more than 18,500 critical patients still need medical evacuation out of Gaza, including around 4,000 children.