By Olivia Le Poidevin
GENEVA (Reuters) -Doctors Without Borders said on Wednesday it was appalled by the death of one of its nurses, who died on Tuesday from shrapnel wounds caused by an Israeli airstrike near his tent five days earlier.
The nurse, Hussein Alnajjar, was a father of three who worked at the international organisation’s medical clinic in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis since January of last year. His sister-in-law and nephew were injured in the same airstrike.
He is the thirteenth Doctors Without Borders medic to be killed since the war in Gaza began.
“We are outraged that military violence continues to kill our Palestinian colleagues,” the organisation said in a statement.
At least 540 aid workers have been killed in Israel’s nearly two-year-old offensive against Hamas militants, launched after the deadly October 7, 2023, cross-border attacks by Hamas-led militants, according to the latest data by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in the October 7 attacks, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel has repeatedly denied targeting aid workers and said it is targeting Hamas militants and infrastructure throughout the enclave.
Aid workers enjoy protection under international humanitarian law but experts cite few precedents for such cases going to trial, with concerns about ensuring future access for aid groups and difficulty proving intent cited as impediments.
On Wednesday, the Palestinian death toll from the war between Israel and Hamas surpassed 65,000, according to local health authorities.
(Reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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