NEW YORK/JERUSALEM, June 26, 2024 — Israeli authorities have acknowledged responsibility for the killing of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) Palestinian colleague Fadi Al-Wadiya, who was targeted in a strike yesterday while on his way to work at an MSF clinic in Gaza City.
Israeli forces accused Al-Wadiya of being a “significant operative” of the Islamic Jihad armed group. However, MSF has no indication that this is true and has received no direct communication from Israeli authorities about this accusation. Israeli forces posted the allegations on X, formerly known as Twitter, yesterday evening.
Al-Wadiya was executed by an Israeli strike. No proof of any wrongdoing on his part has been shared with MSF. There is no justification for this; it is unacceptable. An independent investigation is necessary to establish the facts.
Al-Wadiya was a medic, a physiotherapist, and a father of three children. He had worked with MSF between 2018 and 2022, and had recently rejoined our teams to care for wounded patients injured by the ongoing relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza. Yesterday morning, June 25, he was cycling to work when he was assassinated just outside MSF’s clinic in Gaza City. Five other people were killed in this Israeli attack, including three children. He is the sixth MSF colleague killed in Gaza since October 7, and one of 500 health workers killed by the Israeli forces over the same period, according to the United Nations.
Health care workers must be protected and should not be targeted.
MSF is an independent and impartial organization providing medical assistance to people in Gaza and other places around the world. All MSF members undertake a commitment to respect the MSF charter, and to provide assistance while upholding our principles of independence, neutrality, and impartiality. MSF staff provide care solely on the basis of medical needs, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or politics.
