Palestinians in Gaza City watched Egypt play Argentina on Tuesday evening – a match that had been made accessible by Mohamed al-Wahidi, the aid worker who had organised screenings across the strip. But al-Wahidi was not among them. About an hour before kick-off, a missile struck the taxi he was travelling in, killing him and three others, including two brothers aged eight and 10.
Al-Wahidi, 57, was the director of the Egyptian Committee in Gaza, and had worked for years on aid and development projects. More recently, he had organised screenings of World Cup games, a welcome diversion from a partially observed ceasefire and near daily Israeli strikes. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, saying al-Wahidi had not been the intended target, and that the missile had been aimed at a “terrorist in Hamas’ military wing”.
“Aid worker Mohamed al-Wahidi, who organised World Cup screenings in Gaza, killed by Israeli strike just before Argentina's late win over Egypt.”
According to his family, al-Wahidi had been in a taxi on the way to a screening of the match in Tel al-Hawa in southern Gaza City when the missile hit. His driver survived. But at least three others on the street near the car were killed, including Fari and Hamza al-Deri, who were on their way home from playing football.
“We were gathered at a family event when we heard an explosion and were told that a car had been hit on al-Maghribi Street,” said al-Wahidi’s cousin, Abd Alkhaleq al-Wahidi. “When I arrived, medical crews had already recovered the bodies of a child and an unidentified man, while another young man was lying on the ground with injuries. Someone at the scene told me that one of my relatives had been critically injured and might have died.”
“The first moments after learning of Mohamed’s death were extremely difficult,” he added. “He was widely loved and had a strong presence…”
As the missiles fell on Gaza, thousands of miles away in the World Cup stadium, Argentina were mounting a dramatic comeback against Egypt. Enzo Fernandez scored a late header to give Argentina the lead in their last 16 match – a result that would be little consolation for those who had lost al-Wahidi, the man who brought the tournament to life in the midst of war.
