An Israeli attack on Gaza just before the kick-off of the World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina killed a top Palestinian official who helped organize public screenings of the game in the enclave, according to local health officials.
The blast turned what should have been a moment of celebration — the live display of a potential Argentina upset by an Arab team — into a reminder of how near-daily Israeli attacks in Gaza continue to kill civilians despite a ceasefire reached in October.
The bomb hit a car in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood at dusk on Tuesday, killing passersby Mohamed al-Wahidi, an official with the Egyptian Committee in Gaza, 10-year-old boy Hamza al-Deri and his 8-year-old brother Fari. Ahmed Daghmush, 33, the driver of the car, was also killed. This was said by Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, the director of Shifa Hospital that received the four bodies.
The Israeli military said al-Wahidi, who helped organize the football displays, was not a target of the attack. It said the attack targeted a Hamas militant and that it was checking whether Daghmush was the target of the attack.
Daghmush is a taxi driver not known to have ties to any militant group, Abu Selmiya said.
Half an hour earlier, an Israeli attack hit the same street, causing no casualties.
The Egyptian Committee for which al-Wahidi worked is the relief arm of the Egyptian government, which provides food, shelter and other assistance to Palestinians in Gaza. The committee also organized an initiative to install screens throughout Gaza to watch football matches, the committee said.
Many in the Palestinian diaspora live just across the border in Egypt, which was a key mediator in the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Team Egypt’s fan base in Gaza has only grown since the start of the tournament, when coach Hossam Hassan highlighted the plight of the Palestinian people in press conferences and on the field. He dedicated his team’s victory over Australia on Friday to both Egyptians and Palestinians and waved a Palestinian flag on the pitch.
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In a briefing on Monday before the match against Argentina, Hassan urged the world to do more for the Palestinian people.
“I urge you, I urge all media officials and all athletes worldwide, regardless of their identity, that perhaps we can convey a collective message that goes like this: leave the Palestinian people alone, let them exist, let them have a life of their own,” he said.
The Israeli military says the attacks target militants and regrets the damage to civilians. At least 1,027 people, including 258 children, have been killed since the ceasefire took effect in October. Five Israeli soldiers were killed during that time.
The Palestinian death toll from the war between Israel and Hamas stands at 73,098, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government and staffed by medical professionals who keep detailed records considered widely reliable by United Nations agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up about half of all fatalities.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.
Published on July 8, 2026
