Gazans turned out in large numbers to mourn a senior Palestinian member of Egypt‘s main aid organisation who set up World Cup screenings in the devastated territory and was killed by an Israeli air strike while riding in a taxi this week.
The strike killed Mohammad al-Waheidi on the eve of the Egypt-Argentina match on Tuesday, along with three other people, including two young passers-by, siblings aged 10 and 8, in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, medics said.
Watching the matches on giant screens brought joy to thousands of football fans in the Palestinian territory, laid waste by more than two years of war. Palestinians, like many Arabs, cheered for the Egyptian team, which performed strongly before Argentina knocked them out.
“My father worked hard to bring some entertainment to the people, to the displaced, to us and everyone who suffers in Gaza, he tried to bring them the matches close to their tents and wrecked shelters,” his son Fawaz told Reuters by phone.
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Asked for comment on his death, the Israeli military said it had struck a Hamas militant and was aware of claims that uninvolved individuals were killed in the strike. It did not respond to a query on the identity of the alleged militant.
Tasked with logistics at aid agency
The Palestinian Centre for Human rights said the fourth victim was 30-year-old Ahmed Jehad Rajab Doghmosh, who was also inside the vehicle. It was unclear if he was the driver or another passenger. No Palestinian militant group claimed any of those killed that day as its member.
Two Egyptian security sources said Waheidi was tasked with logistics at the aid agency in Gaza, which serves as the relief arm of the Egyptian government in the enclave.
The sources said a senior Egyptian official raised the issue of Waheidi’s death with Israel, expressing opposition to the continued policy of assassinations and any obstruction of the committee’s work.
On Wednesday, his body was wrapped in Palestinian and Egyptian flags during a funeral where hundreds of people rallied, before burial. Neighbours and friends visited his house throughout the day to pay their respects.
Working for the Egyptian aid agency was exhausting, said Fawaz, but Waheidi used to tell his family he wanted to help people displaced by war.
Israel’s devastating aerial and ground bombardment of Gaza displaced nearly the entire population of 2 million people, most of whom now live in tents or damaged buildings in a narrow coastal strip of territory governed by Hamas.
Attacks continue despite ceasefire
The Gaza health ministry said more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Israel’s military campaign began.
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Palestinians see Egypt as the main Arab strategic supporter of their cause and statehood aspirations. The country has helped broker several ceasefire agreements over the past three decades, including that reached in October last year, alongside efforts from Qatar, Turkey and the United States.
The ceasefire halted major fighting, but it has failed to stop Israeli attacks that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians since it took effect. Four Israeli soldiers have since been killed by militants in Gaza.
Israeli troops occupy more than 60 percent of the shattered Palestinian territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has maintained that Israel will not withdraw its troops.
Hamas chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, leading a delegation of the group, arrived in Cairo on Thursday for more ceasefire talks. Israel and Hamas are deadlocked in indirect talks over implementing the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which includes the group’s disarmament and Israeli army withdrawals.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
