Mohammed al-Wahidi, renowned for humanitarian work and World Cup screenings, was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City.
Palestinians across the Gaza Strip have been mourning prominent aid worker Mohammed al-Wahidi, whose death in an Israeli air strike has sparked widespread tributes to a man many described as a symbol of hope for displaced families during the war.
Al-Wahidi, 65, was killed on Tuesday when an Israeli missile struck the taxi he was travelling in through Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood. Three other people were also killed, including two brothers aged eight and 10 who were passing by, and another man.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas operative and acknowledged reports that civilians had been killed in the strike. It said it was aware of the claims that uninvolved individuals had died.
A former English teacher, al-Wahidi became a senior official with the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza, an Egypt-backed humanitarian organisation that has played a key role in relief efforts during the Israel-Hamas war.
For more than two-and-a-half years, he helped coordinate emergency food distributions, oversaw the establishment of camps for displaced families and worked to deliver aid to communities repeatedly uprooted by the conflict.
Many Palestinians said he was a familiar figure in shelters and displacement camps because he preferred working directly with affected communities rather than managing operations from an office.
Volunteers who worked alongside him said he was regularly present at aid distribution centres, speaking directly with displaced families and responding to their immediate needs.
In recent weeks, al-Wahidi had become widely recognised for helping organise public screenings of FIFA World Cup matches in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and the al-Mawasi area in southern Gaza, offering families and children a rare moment of relief from the war.
Egypt’s World Cup matches drew particularly large crowds, reflecting the country’s enduring popularity among many Palestinians in Gaza. Videos showing children and families watching football on giant screens set up amid bomb-damaged buildings circulated widely online, becoming powerful images of resilience.
Al-Wahidi was killed just hours before one of those planned screenings, Egypt’s Round of 16 match against Argentina, deepening the sense of loss felt by many residents.
Activist Mohammed Hmeid, who documented much of al-Wahidi’s humanitarian work, paid tribute to him on social media.
“He was not simply an aid worker in a humanitarian committee. He was a door to hope that opened every day for displaced people and those who had lost everything.Everyone who knew him speaks of his kindness, integrity and generosity.”
“In Gaza, even those who dedicate their lives to helping others are not spared. But good deeds cannot be killed. They live on in the hearts of the people.”
Al-Wahidi’s death comes amid continuing dangers faced by humanitarian workers operating in Gaza. The United Nations says at least 593 aid workers had been killed in the territory since the war began, including eight since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire 10 months ago.
The war began after Hamas carried out its unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.