DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) 鈥� An Israeli airstrike on a car in the on Saturday killed five people, including employees of . The charity said it was 鈥渦rgently seeking more details鈥� after Israel's military said it targeted a WCK worker who was part of the Hamas attack that sparked the war.
WCK said it was 鈥渉eartbroken鈥� by the airstrike and that it had no knowledge anyone in the car had alleged ties to the Oct. 7, 2023 attack, saying it was 鈥渨orking with incomplete information.鈥� It said it was pausing operations in Gaza.
The charity's work in Gaza was temporarily suspended earlier this year after an Israeli strike killed seven of its workers, most of them foreigners.
The Israeli military in a statement said the alleged Oct. 7 attacker had taken part in the of Nir Oz, and it asked 鈥渟enior officials from the international community and the WCK administration to clarify" how he had come to work for the charity.
The family of the man named by Israel, Ahed Azmi Qdeih, rejected the allegations in a statement as 鈥渇alse accusations,鈥� and confirmed he had worked with the charity. Israel named him as Hazmi Kadih.
Violence in Gaza raged even as appeared to hold, despite sporadic episodes that have tested its fragility.
The strike on the vehicle highlighted the , where the war has displaced much of the 2.3 million population and triggered widespread hunger.
At Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, a woman held up an employee badge bearing the WCK logo, the word 鈥渃ontractor鈥� and the name of a man said to have been killed. Belongings 鈥� burned phones, a watch and stickers with the WCK logo 鈥� lay on the floor.
Nazmi Ahmed said his nephew worked for WCK for the past year. He said he was driving to the charity's kitchens and warehouses.
鈥淭oday, he went out as usual to work ... and was targeted without prior warning and without any reason,鈥� Ahmed said.
In April, a strike on a WCK aid convoy killed seven workers 鈥� three British citizens, Polish and Australian nationals, a 91原创-American dual national and a Palestinian. The Israeli military called it a mistake.
That strike prompted an international outcry. Another Palestinian WCK worker was killed in August by shrapnel from an Israeli airstrike, the group said.
Another Israeli airstrike Saturday hit a car near a food distribution point in Khan Younis, killing 13 people, including children. Nasser hospital in Khan Younis received the bodies.
鈥淭hey were distributing aid, vegetables, and we saw the missile landing,鈥� witness Rami Al-Sori said. A woman sat on the ground and wept.
And the director of Kamal Adwan hospital reported a strike in Tal al Zaatar in Beit Lahiya in the north where Israeli forces are operating, and estimated based on witness accounts that well over 100 dead were under the rubble. He said the area remained inaccessible.
Ceasefire appears to hold
Efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have faltered. But for Lebanon appears to be holding since Wednesday.
On Saturday, Israel's military said that it struck sites used to smuggle weapons from Syria to Lebanon after the ceasefire took effect. There was no immediate comment from Syrian authorities or Hezbollah. Israeli aircraft have struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon several times, citing truce violations.
Israel's strike in Syria came as insurgents breached its largest city, Aleppo, to the region.
The truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah calls for an initial two-month ceasefire in which the militants should withdraw north of Lebanon's Litani River and Israeli forces should return to their side of the border.
Many Lebanese, some of the 1.2 million displaced, despite warnings by the Israeli and Lebanese militaries to avoid certain areas.
鈥淒ay by day, we will return to our normal lives,鈥� said Mustafa Badawi, a cafe owner in Tyre.
The toll of conflicts
Lebanon鈥檚 state-run National News Agency said an Israeli drone strike on Rub Thalatheen village killed two people and wounded two others, and another hit a car in Majdal Zoun village. Lebanon鈥檚 Health Ministry said three were wounded, including a 7-year-old child.
Israel's military said it had been operating to distance 鈥渟uspects鈥� in the region, without elaborating. Israel says it reserves the right to strike against any perceived violations.
Israel seeks to ensure that tens of thousands of displaced Israelis return home. But they .
鈥淣o, it will not be like before,鈥� said one Israeli evacuee, Lavie Eini.
Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and its assault on southern Israel. Israel and Hezbollah kept up cross-border fire for nearly a year until Israel escalated with an attack that used by Hezbollah. It then launched an intense aerial bombardment that killed Hezbollah leaders including , and launched a ground invasion in October.
More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel 鈥� over half of them civilians 鈥� as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Hamas鈥� October 2023 attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 250 hostage.
On Saturday, Hamas released a video of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Speaking under duress, Alexander referred to being held for 420 days and mentioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 recent $5 million offer for the hostages' return.
鈥淭he prime minister is supposed to protect his soldiers and citizens, and you abandoned us,鈥� Alexander said.
Netanyahu's office said that he spoke with Alexander's family after the release of the 鈥渂rutal psychological warfare video鈥� that held 鈥渁n important and exciting sign of life.鈥�
Israel鈥檚 retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, who don't distinguish between civilians and combatants in their count but say over half the dead were women and children.
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Tia Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Bassem Mroue reported from Beirut. Mohammad Jahjouh contributed to this report from Khan Younis, Gaza Strip.
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Wafaa Shurafa, Tia Goldenberg And Bassem Mroue, The Associated Press
