UN launches investigation into attack on UN facilities in Gaza

An investigation was launched after a UN staffer was killed during an explosion at two UN guest houses in the Gaza Strip, a UN official said Thursday.

"The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) today confirmed the death of Marin Valev Marinov, age 51, from Bulgaria, who died yesterday when two UN guest houses were hit by an explosion in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza," deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters.

Five additional UNOPS personnel were injured in the explosion, Haq said.

"They are all now in hospital.

"The UN is launching an investigation into the incident in Gaza yesterday, and we expect full support from the Israeli authorities," he added.

UNOPS chief Jorge Moreira da Silva on Wednesday said that the premises were "well known by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and they were deconflicted," stressing that "everyone knew who was working inside the premises – it was UN personnel, UNOPS personnel."

Separately, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday expressed "deep" sorrow for the killing of a UN aid worker.

At least 280 UN personnel have been killed in Gaza since Israel's war in the Strip, which began Oct. 7, 2023.