The World Health Organization has suspended all medical evacuations from Gaza to Egypt through the Rafah crossing after a contractor working with the agency was killed by Israeli troops on Monday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed the suspension, stating the contractor—identified locally as 54-year-old Majdi Aslan—died in what he described as a "security incident." Two other WHO staff members were present but escaped injury, though Tedros provided no additional details about the circumstances.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry reported that Aslan was driving a WHO-rented vehicle in southern Gaza when Israeli forces targeted it. In response, Israel's military claimed its troops "identified an unmarked vehicle approaching them and the Yellow Line, posing an immediate threat," referring to the boundary marking Israeli-held territory.
"In response, the troops fired warning shots," the military statement continued. "The vehicle continued to accelerate toward the troops, who then responded with additional fire that hit the vehicle. The incident is under review."
Tedros emphasized the suspension would remain in effect until further notice, adding, "We call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers."
Hanan Balkhy, WHO's regional director, called Aslan's death "a devastating loss" and warned that halting medical evacuations "is cutting off a critical pathway to care for patients." According to local hospitals and WHO estimates, more than 18,000 Palestinian patients are currently waiting to leave Gaza for medical treatment.
At al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza, a colleague of Aslan told reporters the vehicle was clearly marked with WHO logos on all sides and was leading a coordinated convoy transporting patients to the Rafah crossing when it came under fire from an Israeli tank.
"The tank came out directly and targeted the driver so that he would stop," said Raed Aslan. "There were three people in the vehicle; the driver is the one who paid the price for the situation we are living in. What ceasefire is this? Every day we have someone killed."
Dr. Fathi al-Lulu, a medic at the hospital, stated Aslan had been "co-ordinating the transfer of patients from the Gaza Strip to the Egyptian side" when he was targeted.
The Rafah crossing had been reopened for limited movement in early February as part of last October's ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, after being largely closed since Israeli forces captured the Gazan side in May 2024. Israeli authorities shut the crossing again on February 28 following the outbreak of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, reopening it after 20 days.
According to Israel's military body Cogat, approximately 1,150 people have left Gaza via the crossing over the past two months, with a similar number entering.
Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of repeatedly violating the ceasefire they agreed to nearly six months ago. Gaza's health ministry reports at least 733 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since the ceasefire began on October 10, while the Israeli military says five of its soldiers have been killed in attacks by Palestinian groups during the same period.