Deir al-Balah aid worker impersonation incident

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Deir al-Balah aid worker impersonation incident
Part of the Deir al-Balah offensive of the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip during the Gaza war
Dateearly August 2025
Location
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine
ResultPer Israel:
Impersonators neutralized
Belligerents
Flag of Israel.svg Israel Unknown armed group impersonating aid workers
Casualties and losses
NonePer Israel:
Conflicting claims: IDF reported 5 gunmen killed and also reported an unclear number of casualties

On 12 August 2024, during the Gaza war (2023–present), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it launched a strike on a group of armed men in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, who were impersonating employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a United States-based nonprofit aid organization. [1] The strike, which the IDF said occurred in early August, [1] came amid an Israeli military offensive into Deir al-Balah that had begun on 21 July. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Incident

In its statement, the IDF said the vehicle was spotted several hundred meters from an Israeli military position in Deir al-Balah. A video released by the IDF shows the group of impersonators, numbering at least eight men, wearing yellow vests and standing around a vehicle with a WCK logo on top. Several of the men appear to be armed. The video does not show any strike on the vehicle. [1]

A day prior to the IDF statement (11 August), Al Jazeera had published a video titled, “The moment the Israeli occupation targeted a civilian vehicle with a second missile in the Al-Baraka area of Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.” The video shows a crowd standing near a burning vehicle, followed by a missile strike. The description of the location in the video, including the date it was published, indicates it is the vehicle with the WCK logo that the IDF said it attacked. [5]

The IDF made conflicting statements about casualties in the strike, saying it killed "five armed terrorists", but then also stated the number of casualties was unclear. [1]

Identity of the impersonators

In its statement, the IDF referenced Hamas and other militant organizations that it is fighting, claiming they exploit humanitarian efforts, [6] but stated it was unclear to what armed group or organization the impersonators belonged. [1] No militant group in the Gaza Strip has claimed its fighters were involved in the incident. [5] Ynet and The Jerusalem Post nonetheless reported that the impersonators belonged to Hamas. [7] [8]

WCK response

Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said it contacted WCK, which confirmed the vehicle had no connection to their operations. WCK released a statement saying "We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers. The safety and security of our teams are our top priority." [1] [9]

Analysis

The Long War Journal of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies connected the incident to other purported infiltrations of NGOs or nonprofits by militant groups and said such activities had precedents in the Gaza Strip, referring to examples such as the participation of UNRWA employees in the October 7 attacks. [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Liebermann, Oren (2025-08-12). "Armed group posing as aid workers targeted in Israeli strike as international calls mount for more Gaza aid". CNN. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  2. ↑ Yosef, Eugenia; al Sawalhi, Yosef; Lister, Tim; Khadder, Kareem (21 July 2025). "Israeli tanks roll into Gazan city of Deir al-Balah for first time since war began". CNN. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  3. ↑ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (21 July 2025). "Israel sends tanks into Gaza's Deir al-Balah, hostage families concerned". Reuters. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
  4. ↑ "At least 65 killed in Gaza attacks as Israel sends tanks into Deir el-Balah". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Truzman, Joe (2025-08-13). "IDF targets terrorists disguised as aid workers". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  6. ↑ Zitun, Yoav (2025-08-12). "IDF kills 5 Hamas terrorists posing as World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  7. ↑ Zitun, Yoav (2025-08-12). "IDF kills 5 Hamas terrorists posing as World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  8. ↑ "Hamas poses as WCK to attack IDF soldiers in Gaza | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2025-08-12. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  9. ↑ "World Central Kitchen Condemns Impersonation of Aid Workers in Gaza". World Central Kitchen. 12 August 2025. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
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