Mohammed al-Wahidi, a senior Palestinian aid worker with the Egyptian Relief Committee, was killed July 7 in an Israeli air strike while traveling in a taxi in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The strike also killed three others: two brothers aged 8 and 10, and Ahmed Jehad Rajab Doghmosh, 30, who were in the vehicle [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas military operative in the strike but acknowledged that uninvolved civilians were also killed [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. No Palestinian militant group claimed the victims [3, 4, 5, 6].
Al-Wahidi, whose age is reported as either 57 or 65 years, had been an English teacher before becoming a senior official organizing humanitarian aid and displaced persons camps in Gaza [1, 2, 6]. He had also arranged public screenings of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches across Gaza to offer displaced families relief amid the conflict [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The strike occurred hours before the Egypt-Argentina World Cup match, which he helped arrange screenings for in Gaza City [1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6].
His son Fawaz described his father’s work as an effort to bring entertainment and comfort to displaced people. "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," he said [3]. Fawaz added that despite exhaustion, his father was motivated by a desire to help those displaced by war [6].
A cousin, Abd Alkhaleq al-Wahidi, recalled the shock felt by family and community: "The first moments after learning of Mohamed’s death were extremely difficult. He was widely loved and had a strong presence at family and community gatherings" [2].
Thousands attended al-Wahidi’s funeral on July 8 in Gaza. His body was draped in Palestinian and Egyptian flags [3, 4, 5, 6].
An Egyptian official condemned the killing and raised the issue with Israel, citing ongoing attacks and obstacles to humanitarian aid work [3, 4, 5, 6].
