After the death of Bulgarian Marin Marinov – mutual accusations between the UN and Israel

The United Nations (UN) and Israel have exchanged accusations regarding the strike on a UN complex in Gaza that resulted in the death of Bulgarian national Marin Marinov.

According to the UN, the buildings were hit by a shell fired by an Israeli tank. The Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the allegations, describing them as slander.

Israel is responsible for the explosions that led to the death of UN staff member Marin Marinov, said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

Due to the strike on March 19 and the renewed Israeli air and ground military operations in Gaza, the UN is reducing its presence in the Palestinian territories.

About one-third of the roughly 100 UN personnel in Gaza will be withdrawn. This includes staff from UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the World Food Programme.

“Based on the information that is currently available, the strikes hitting a UN compound in Deir Al Balah on 19 March were caused by an Israeli tank shell. The strikes claimed the life of a UN colleague from Bulgaria and left six others — from France, Moldova, North Macedonia, Palestine and the United Kingdom — with severe injuries, some of them life-altering.

The location of this UN compound was well known to all the parties to the conflict. I reiterate that all parties to the conflict are bound by international law to protect the inviolability of United Nations premises. Without this, our colleagues face intolerable risks as they work to save the lives of civilians.”

The Secretary-General strongly condemns these strikes and calls for a full and independent investigation into this incident," said Stéphane Dujarric, UN spokesperson.

Israel has launched an investigation into the death of the Bulgarian national but denies responsibility for the incident. The Israeli military asserts that no military operations were conducted in the affected area.

"The initial examination found no connection to IDF activity whatsoever. The UN inquiry team itself hasn’t even arrived at the scene. Yet the UN is quick to publish another baseless slander against Israel. No standards, no professionalism — nothing stands in the way of the UN Secretary-General in another attempt to smear Israel," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.

In another Israeli strike, damage was caused to a Red Cross building in Rafah. The Israeli army justified the attack by saying that it was carried out after suspicious individuals were mistakenly identified inside, posing a threat to Israeli forces.

In a separate attack yesterday afternoon, a journalist working for Al Jazeera was killed, according to Gaza’s Civil Defence. Israel resumed its offensive in the Gaza Strip after negotiations with Hamas for an extended ceasefire failed.