An aid worker for the Belgian development agency Enabel has been killed in Gaza (along with his 7-year-old child) by an Israeli airstrike on Rafah, according to a statement by the Belgian Development Minister Caroline Gennez.
Gennez and Enabel have condemned in the "strongest possible terms" the attack on innocent civilians and called for the remaining Enabel workers in Gaza to be allowed to leave immediately.
The Israeli Ambassador to Belgium has been summoned again by the Federal Government to demand explanations for the "unacceptable" act, confirmed Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib, who added that "bombing civilian areas and populations is contrary to international law."
On Wednesday night, Abdallah Nabhan (33) and his seven-year-old son Jamal, were killed by an Israeli Army bombardment in the eastern part of the city of Rafah, where many civilians are still sheltering. Abdallah's wife is in a critical condition in hospital, while the couple's two other children (aged 5 years and 7 months) were slightly injured. His 65-year-old father, 35-year-old brother and six-year-old niece were also killed.
The house where Abdallah's family was staying was home to around 25 people, including residents and displaced persons who had taken refuge there. Last night's attack claimed the lives of at least seven people and injured many others.
Abdallah Nabhan was described by the press statement as a valued colleague, who joined Enabel in April 2020 as a Business Development Officer. He worked on an EU project which aimed to help small businesses in the Gaza Strip to produce in an environmentally friendly way – complementing a Belgian development project to help young people find jobs.
Like all the other Enabel employees in Gaza, Abdallah was on the list of people authorised to leave Gaza, which had been handed over to the Israeli authorities several months ago. "Unfortunately, Abdallah died before he and his family were allowed to leave Gaza safely." Currently, seven staff members remain in Gaza.
Minister for Development Caroline Gennez. Credit: Belga / James Arthur Gekiere
"What we have feared for a long time has become a reality. This is terrible news," said Minister Caroline Gennez, while expressing her condolences to Adballah's family, friends and all the staff at Enabel.
"Abdallah was a father, a husband, a son, a human being. His story and that of his family is just one among tens of thousands of others. When will it finally be enough?"
Gennez used the tragedy to underline that the "Israeli government bears a crushing responsibility here" after "six months of destruction that goes against all international and humanitarian laws and the laws of war".
Jean Van Wetter, Managing Director of Enabel: "As the director of a Belgian agency and a former humanitarian worker, I cannot accept that this has been going on with impunity for so long. It is tragic that innocent civilians are falling victim to this conflict. We must do everything in our power to put an end to the violence."
Enabel's office in Gaza was destroyed by an Israeli bombardment in February, which led to Belgium summoning the Israeli Ambassador, Idit Rosenzweig Abu. According to Israel, the Belgian ministry of foreign affairs has received the results of the investigation of the incident and fully understood that the Enabel building was not targeted.
