First international UN staff member killed in Gaza attack

A UN security services member was killed in an Israeli attack on a vehicle in Gaza on Monday, a spokesperson said, adding the death was the first international UN employee killed in the Palestinian territory since the war began.

UN chief Antonio Guterres "was deeply saddened to learn of the death of a United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) staff member and injury to another DSS staffer when their UN vehicle was struck as they traveled to the European Hospital in Rafah," said his deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

It was "the first international casualty" for the UN since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza on October 7, Haq said, recalling that some 190 Palestinian UN employees have been killed, mainly staff of the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA).

"The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on UN personnel and calls for a full investigation," Haq said.

The spokesman did not immediately release the nationality of the person killed.

#Gaza: UN chief @antonioguterres "deeply saddened" by the death of a UN security staff member and the injury of another in Rafah

Read the story➡️https://t.co/rQg0ZEdSrj pic.twitter.com/TNiMISWouA

— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) May 13, 2024

"I don't have the full details of whether this was part of a large convoy or not, I believe it was in a convoy that was moving, and this was the DSS vehicle that was hit," he said.

The DSS oversees the security of UN agencies and programs in more than 130 countries around the world.

The Israeli military on Tuesday claimed that the vehicle hit was in an "active combat zone" at the time.

"An initial inquiry conducted indicates that the vehicle was hit in an area declared an active combat zone," the military said in a statement, claiming that it had "not been made aware of the route of the vehicle".

"The incident is under review," it said, without attributing responsibility for the strike.