Humanitarian who hosted Gaza World Cup screenings killed

A senior Palestinian humanitarian worker, widely known for organizing public screenings of FIFA World Cup matches for families in Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The strike, which hit a taxi in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, also killed three other people, including two young brothers aged eight and ten who were passing by at the time.

The aid worker, 65-year-old Mohammed al-Wahidi, was a logistics official with the main Egyptian aid organization operating in Gaza. He was killed just hours before a scheduled public screening of Egypt's Round of 16 World Cup match against Argentina. In recent weeks, his initiative to set up giant screens in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, and the al-Mawasi area had drawn large crowds, providing a rare moment of communal joy and entertainment amid the ongoing conflict.

The Israeli military, when asked for comment, stated the strike targeted a Hamas militant and said it was aware of claims that uninvolved individuals were killed. It did not identify the alleged militant. No Palestinian militant group claimed any of those killed that day as a member. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights identified the fourth...