Secretary General Of Guterres Kutuk Shooting Of UN Vehicles In Gaza, Israel Says It's A Battle Area

JAKARTA - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the shooting of the agency's vehicle in Gaza on Monday, while Israelis said the location of the shooting was amid fighting areas.

A UN vehicle was fired at in Rafah, southern Gaza according to Palestinian media reports and Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

According to Palestinian media, a Palestinian driver was killed and a UN worker was injured. Meanwhile Kan said it happened near the Rafah crossing to Egypt, with the UN worker in serious condition.

In response to the report, the Israeli military said both were shot in active combat zones, but further details are still in the process of being investigated, as reported by The Times of Israel May 14.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it received reports that two members of the UN Department of Safety and Security were shot while driving in the Rafah area.

According to the IDF, preliminary reviews showed the vehicle was shot "in the middle of fighting in areas designated as active combat zones."

The military also said the vehicle route was unknown, while the IDF usually knew the movement of aid workers in Gaza to avoid such events.

However, the IDF did not confirm its troops were shooting at the vehicle.

"All details of the incident are being reviewed," the Israeli military said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his posts on social media reiterated that humanitarian work must be protected.

"Today the UN vehicle was shot in Gaza, killing one of our colleagues and injuring another. More than 190 UN staff have been killed in Gaza," the UN Secretary-General tweeted on social media X.

"I condemn all attacks on UN personnel and repeat my urgent call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the release of all hostages."