Gazans have gathered in large numbers to pay their respects to a senior Palestinian member of Egypt's main aid organisation, who organised World Cup viewings in the devastated enclave and was killed this week in an Israeli air strike on the taxi he was travelling in.
The attack, ahead of the Egypt-Argentina match on Tuesday, killed Mohamad al-Wahidi, along with three other people, including two young bystanders, a brother and sister aged 10 and eight, in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, doctors said.
Watching the matches on big screens brought joy to thousands of football fans in the enclave, devastated after more than two years of war. Palestinians, like many Arabs, cheered on the Egyptian national team, which played strongly before being eliminated by Argentina.
"My father worked hard to bring a little entertainment to the people, the displaced, to us and to everyone who is suffering in Gaza; he tried to bring the games closer to their tents and their destroyed shelters," his son Fawaz told Reuters by phone.
When asked about his death, the Israeli military said it had targeted a Hamas militant and was aware of claims that people not involved in the fighting were killed in the attack. It did not respond to a question about the identity of the alleged militant.
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights said the fourth victim was 30-year-old Ahmed Jehad Rajab Dogmosh, who was also in the vehicle. It was not clear whether he was the driver or another passenger.
Two Egyptian security sources said that Wahidi was in charge of logistics at the Gaza Humanitarian Agency, which acts as the Egyptian government's aid arm in the enclave.
Sources said a senior Egyptian official raised the issue of Vahidi's death with Israel, expressing opposition to the continuation of the assassination policy and any obstruction of the committee's work.
On Wednesday, his body was wrapped in Palestinian and Egyptian flags before being buried during a funeral attended by hundreds of people.
Working for the Egyptian aid agency was exhausting, Fawaz said, but Wahidi told his family he wanted to help people displaced by the war.
The Palestinians see Egypt as the main Arab strategic supporter of their struggle and aspirations for statehood. The country has helped broker several ceasefire agreements over the past three decades, including one reached in October last year, with the efforts of Qatar, Turkey and the United States.
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