Red Cross staffer killed in Gaza Strip

By Mahmoud Barakat

ANKARA (AA) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday said one of its staffers and his family were killed in the Gaza Strip.

“We are devastated by the killing of our valued colleague Abdellatif Ali Moussa, along with several of his family, in northern Gaza,” ICRC said on X platform.

“Abdellatif worked as a driver for the ICRC for some 20 years,” it added.

ICRC expressed its condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

For his part, Jagan Chapagain, the secretary-general and CEO of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, offered condolences and affirmed solidarity with Red Cross colleagues.

“Deeply saddened by this devastating news from ICRC. On behalf of the IFRC, I would like to express our deepest condolences for this heartbreaking loss,” Chapagain said.

“We stand in solidarity with ICRC colleagues. Humanitarian workers must be protected.”

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,854, the government media office in the blockaded enclave said on Thursday.

The victims include 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, while more than 36,000 people have been injured, it said.

Around 7,000 people remain unaccounted for, including more than 4,700 children, it added.

The official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.