The United Nations has declared that the recent fatality of an Indian staff in Gaza was a consequence of the Israeli tank attack on the UN vehicle. The former Indian army officer, Colonel Vaibhav Kale, died in a car accident on Monday on the way to Rafah when the UN vehicle he was in was hit. The incident also caused severe injuries to another staff member.
This is the first UN worker of an international variety to be killed in Gaza since the conflict commenced. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have admitted that they are checking the incident. Farhan Haq, the UN Deputy Spokesperson, declared that there was no way to deny that shots from an Israeli tank had hit the back of the unmistakably marked UN vehicle. The UN is in the process of debating with Israeli officials regarding the investigation of the case of the attack.
UNDSS has established a panel for fact-finding to look into the incident. Prior reports stated that the UN workers were on their way to the European Hospital when the car hit their vehicle. The footage, which was verified on social media, showed a UN vehicle with bullet holes outside the hospital.
Colonel Kale, 46, from Maharashtra, India, who had just joined the UNDSS in Gaza, is the person in question. He had a 22-year career in the Indian army before he decided to quit at an early stage. Gilles Michaud, the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, complimented Col. Kale on his desire to help the needy and his determination to make a change.
India’s mission to the UN expressed its highest condolences to Col. Kale’s family, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres mourned the loss and conveyed his sympathies. The incident is the third among the many tragedies, which is proof of the number of UN staff members who have been killed in Gaza since the war started, and now, the toll is more than 190 UN members.
