Former Indian Army officer Waibhav Anil Kale Killed in Rafah

Former Indian Army officer, Colonel (retd.) Waibhav Anil Kale was killed in Gaza on 13 May 2024 after his vehicle came under attack in Rafah, Gaza. Waibhav Anil Kale was presently employed with the United Nations as a staff member of the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (DSS) in Gaza.

Waibhav Anil Kale and his colleague who was injured in the attack were going to the European Hospital in Rafah, Gaza.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack and has ordered an inquiry into the incident as it is not clear who attacked Waibhav Kale's vehicle.

It is the first international casualty in Gaza since the start of the current round of the Isreal -Hamas war on 7  October 2023. 

First International Casualty in Gaza 

The death of Waibhav Anil Kale marks the first international staff of the United Nations to be killed in Gaza since the Israeli forces launched a military operation in the region.

Israel launched a counter-military offensive in Gaza after the militant Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, during which the militant group killed 1,200 people and took 240 people hostage.

Israel has recently launched a fresh offensive in the Rafah area of north Gaza, where it says four battalions of Hamas are present. 

The fresh Israeli operation has been opposed by international communities and Israel’s closest allies, the US, as more than 10 lakh Palestinians have taken refuge in Rafah.

According to the Palestinian health authorities, at least 35000 people have been killed in Gaza, and more than 23 lakh Palestinians have become refugees since the October 7, 2023 Israeli military action.

Who was Waibhav Anil Kale?

Waibhav Kale, 46, was born in Maharashtra. He joined the Indian Army in 1998 and was deployed in various places like Siachen glaciers and the northeast. 

He was the deputy commander of the elite counter-insurgency arm of the Indian Army, Rashtriya Rifles. 

He was an instructor at the Army infantry school, Mhow. 

He also participated in the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Congo in 2009-10.

Kale prematurely retired from the Indian Army in 2022. Two months ago, he joined the UN as a Security Coordination Officer in the United Nations DSS.

About Gaza 

Gaza is the main city of the Gaza Strip, which is part of the Palestinian administration. The Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt in 1948, which has a large Palestinian population. After the defeat of the Arab forces in the Israel-Arab War of 1967, Israel captured the Gaza Strip.  

After the Israel-Egypt Camp David peace treaty of 1978, Egypt renounced its claim on the Gaza Strip.

In 1993, Israel and Palestinian leaders signed the Oslo Accord, which provided for the creation of an independent Palestinian state comprising Gaza and the West Bank.

Under the terms of the Oslo Accord, Israel started its phased military withdrawal from Gaza in 1994. 

The Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza was completed in 2008, and it was handed over to the  Palestinian Authority.

With the emergence of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, Gaza has seen multiple armed conflicts between Israeli forces and Hamas.

Prime Minister of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu