Mohammed al-Wahidi and three others were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the eve of Tuesday’s match between Egypt and Argentina.
Palestinians in Gaza set up a World Cup screening in the shattered enclave and gathered in large numbers to pay tribute to an executive from Egypt’s main aid organization whose taxi was killed in an Israeli airstrike this week.
Medical officials said the attack killed Mohamed al-Wahidi, himself a Palestinian, and three other people, including two young passersby and brothers aged 10 and 8, in Gaza City’s Sabra district on the eve of Tuesday’s game between Egypt and Argentina.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said the fourth victim was 30-year-old Ahmed Jehad Rajab Dogmosh, who was also in the taxi. It is unclear whether he was the driver or a passenger.
Al Wahidi, 57, communications director for the Egyptian Relief Committee in the Gaza Strip, was one of the first to help clear debris, reopen roads and build camps for displaced families.
The Egyptian committee said Mr. Al-Wahidi was a respected elder in the community who worked to resolve conflicts, fed people in need and brought joy by organizing public screenings of World Cup matches.
Watching matches on giant screens has brought happiness to thousands of soccer fans living in enclaves devastated by more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war. Palestinians, like many Arabs, cheered for the Egyptian team, which performed well before being eliminated by Argentina.
“My father worked hard to bring entertainment to the people, to the refugees, to us and to all those suffering in Gaza, trying to bring matches closer to their tents and broken shelters,” his son Fawaz told Reuters by phone.
Two Egyptian security sources said Mr. al-Wahidi had a logistics role at his aid agency, which acts as the Egyptian government’s relief arm in the Palestinian territories.
Officials said Egyptian officials had raised Wahidi’s death with Israel, condemning continued killings in Gaza and obstruction of the commission’s work.
At Wednesday’s funeral, which was attended by hundreds of people, al-Wahidi’s body was wrapped in Palestinian and Egyptian flags before being buried. Neighbors and friends visited his home throughout the day to pay their respects.
His son Fawaz said working for Egyptian aid agencies was difficult, but al-Wahidi often told his family that he wanted to help people displaced by the war.
Despite Israel and Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire on October 10, 2025, Israeli killings continue in the Gaza Strip.
Although fighting on the ground has since declined, Israel continued airstrikes in the territory, killing at least 1,092 Palestinians and wounding more than 3,507 during the “ceasefire” period, according to the Health Ministry.
More than 73,118 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023, when Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza began, according to the Health Ministry.
