WHO suspends Gaza ops after contract worker killed

GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it was suspending evacuations from Gaza after a worker contracted to help them was killed on April 6.

“WHO is devastated to confirm that a person contracted to provide services to the organisation in Gaza was killed today during a security incident,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the agency’s chief, posted on social media platform X.

Two employees were present during the incident but were not injured, he added.

“Following the incident, WHO suspended today’s medical evacuation of patients from Gaza via Rafah to Egypt. Medical evacuations will remain suspended until further notice.”

The UN health agency did not give details of what had happened, but Dr Tedros said “the relevant authorities” were investigating.

“We call for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers,” he added in his post.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire that came into force on Oct 10, 2025, in the Gaza Strip, after two years of devastating war. AFP