French Foreign Ministry Says Worker Killed by Israeli Attack in Rafah

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)
TT

French Foreign Ministry Says Worker Killed by Israeli Attack in Rafah

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, October 31, 2023. (Reuters)

The French foreign ministry said one of its workers had died as a result of wounds sustained during an Israeli attack in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

The man was seeking refuge in the house of a colleague from the French consulate alongside two other co-workers and a number of their family members, the ministry statement issued late on Saturday said.

"The house was hit by an Israeli air strike on Wednesday evening, which seriously hurt our agent and killed about 10 others," it said, adding he had later died of his wounds, Reuters reported.

The statement said France condemned the bombing of a residential building.

"We demand that the Israeli authorities shed full light on the circumstances of this bombing, as soon as possible," it said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry declined to provide further details on the name, nationality and age of the worker.

"We're waiting for clarification (from Israel)," said French Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna shortly after meeting her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

She called for an "immediate truce" between Hamas and Israel to allow for a humanitarian ceasefire.

Israel says it seeks to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, according to international law, though critics and even its closest ally, the US, say it needs to do more.



UN Seeks Probe into Reported Mass Killing of Afghans Migrating to Iran

Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a sentence reading in Persian and Hebrew, 'Israel is no longer a safe place for living' at the Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 16 October 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a sentence reading in Persian and Hebrew, 'Israel is no longer a safe place for living' at the Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 16 October 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
TT

UN Seeks Probe into Reported Mass Killing of Afghans Migrating to Iran

Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a sentence reading in Persian and Hebrew, 'Israel is no longer a safe place for living' at the Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 16 October 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians drive past an anti-Israeli billboard with a sentence reading in Persian and Hebrew, 'Israel is no longer a safe place for living' at the Palestine Square in Tehran, Iran, 16 October 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

The United Nations' mission in Afghanistan called on Thursday for an investigation into reports that a large group of Afghan migrants had been shot and killed on the Afghanistan-Iran border.
Afghan media outlets including Tolo News, citing witnesses, said more than 200 Afghan migrants who entered Iran illegally were attacked on Iranian territory, and that dozens had been killed and injured.
Iran's ambassador to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, denied the reports of the "death of dozens of illegal nationals" in a post on X.
Tolo News quoted an "Iranian human rights organization" saying that Iranian border guards had attacked the migrants.
Afghanistan's Taliban-run administration has not confirmed the incident and said it was investigating.
The United Nations' Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a statement expressed "deep concern over disturbing reports of an incident on 14 to 15 October in Sistan province, Sarbaz district, Kala Gan border area of Iran, with allegations that a large group of Afghan migrants were opened fire on, resulting in deaths and injuries."
It did not make any reference to who might have carried out the alleged attack.
UNAMA called for a "thorough and transparent" investigation into the alleged incident, stressing that the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers are protected by international law.
Afghanistan authorities have been unable to confirm the incident because it happened "beyond Afghanistan's borders," deputy spokesman of the government Hamdullah Fitrat said in a statement.
He said a high-ranking delegation with officials from the interior, foreign and defense ministries had begun an investigation and would submit a report once the facts were clear.