UNICEF said it was "outraged" after Israeli fire struck a routine water distribution operation in the Gaza Strip on Friday, killing two truck drivers contracted by the agency and wounding two others.
The incident occurred at the Mansoura water filling point in northern Gaza, a facility that supplies water to Gaza City, UNICEF said in a statement. The strike took place during routine water trucking in the morning, according to the statement. Following the attack, the agency announced it had suspended activities at the site.
UNICEF urged Israeli authorities to investigate the incident and underscored the legal protections afforded to humanitarian workers, civilians and essential water infrastructure under international humanitarian law. The agency's statement framed the fatalities and injuries as a serious breach of those protections.
Israel's embassy in Washington did not immediately provide a comment when asked.
Context provided by the statement noted that an October ceasefire paused two years of full-scale war but left Israeli forces controlling a depopulated zone that comprises well over half of Gaza. Hamas remains in control of the remaining narrow coastal strip. Since the ceasefire, local medics report that more than 750 Palestinians have been killed, while militants have killed four Israeli soldiers. Both Israel and Hamas have exchanged accusations of ceasefire violations.
From a logistics and humanitarian operations perspective, the incident raises immediate operational and safety questions for organizations conducting water trucking in Gaza. Mansoura functions as a key filling point for deliveries into Gaza City, and the suspension of activity there may affect the flow of potable water into densely populated areas served by that node.
UNICEF's suspension of on-site operations will likely force relief planners to reassess routing, security protocols and contingency arrangements for water delivery. The agency's call for an investigation reflects a need for clarification on the circumstances of the strike and accountability for the harm to civilian contractors.
Given the compact description in the statement, details remain limited about the precise sequence of events or the parties responsible for the fire. UNICEF's announcement and the absence of an immediate response from the Israeli embassy underscore continuing uncertainty about operational safety for humanitarian actors in the area.
This event forms part of a wider, tense post-ceasefire environment in which both sides have accused each other of violations. The human toll cited by local medics since the October ceasefire and the reported deaths of the drivers highlight the persistent risks facing civilians and aid workers in Gaza.