Key Points
- Oxfam says four water engineers were killed in southern Gaza, on their way to repair water infrastructure.
- Their "clearly-marked vehicle" was bombed despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities, the NGO said.
- Doctors Without Borders called on the Israeli forces to "immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in north Gaza".
Oxfam has condemned the killing of four water engineers who the aid group said were on their way to repair water infrastructure in southern Gaza when their "clearly-marked vehicle" was bombed.
The organisation said the four people, who were working with Oxfam partner the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), had had prior coordination with Israeli authorities of their movements, before they were killed in Khan Younis on their way to reparation works on Saturday.
"Despite prior coordination with Israeli authorities their clearly-marked vehicle was bombed," Oxfam said.
Oxfam called for accountability and an independent investigation into the incident, adding that dozens of engineers, civil and in Israeli airstrikes throughout this Hamas-Israel war.
"They were all working on essential services to keep Gaza's fragile infrastructure running. Despite their movements being coordinated with the Israeli authorities by the CMWU and the Palestinian Water Authority, to ensure their safety, they were still targeted. "
"We reiterate our calls for a ceasefire, an immediate halt to arms transfers to Israel, and the international community to ensure Israel is held accountable for its continued assault on civilians and those working to deliver life-saving services."
Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) has been contacted for comment.
'Bodies scattered in the streets'
The IDF launched a sweeping air and ground assault targeting northern Gaza on 6 October. Since then, it has tightened its siege, which has displaced tens of thousands of people.
Gaza's civil defence agency says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the north over the past two weeks.
"There are dozens of bodies scattered in the streets of Jabalia due to continuous shelling," Gaza civil defence agency spokesman, Mahmud Bassal, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Bassal said the dead included women, children and the elderly.
"They were all transferred to the northern Gaza Strip hospitals of Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda and Indonesian," said Bassal.
The Israeli military press department when contacted by AFP said it was "checking" the reports.
On Sunday, Bassal said an Israeli air strike on a residential area killed at least 73 Palestinians in Beit Lahiya in the territory's north.
Israel said it struck a "Hamas terror target" but did not offer other details as to who the target of the strike was, and disputed the toll figure given by Gaza authorities.
It said its initial examination indicated that the numbers "do not align with the information held by the IDF (army), the precise munitions used, and the accuracy of the strike on a Hamas terror target".
Doctors decry 'collective punishment'
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, on Sunday called on the Israeli forces to "immediately stop their attacks on hospitals in north Gaza".
The group said Israeli forces were "besieging and targeting" the Indonesian, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals, citing health workers and Gaza's Ministry of Health.
MSF said more than 350 patients were reportedly trapped inside, including pregnant women and people who had recently undergone surgical operations, who require continuous medical treatment and are unable to leave.
"This is purely and simply a collective punishment imposed on Palestinians in Gaza, who must choose between being forcibly displaced from the North or killed. We fear that this will not stop," said Anna Halford, MSF emergency coordinator in Gaza.
"Israel's all-out war on Gaza seems to have no end in sight. Israel's allies bear a heavy responsibility for this dire situation, caused by their unwavering support for the war. They must immediately do everything in their power to obtain a sustained ceasefire. Not tomorrow, not in a week. Now," Halford added.
