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Indian national Waibhav Anil Kale dies in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war: Who was he?
An Indian national, Colonel Waibhav Anil KaleKale, 46, died while travelling in a vehicle to a hospital in the Khan Younis area from Rafah. He was a UN staff member. His death was confirmed by India and the UN.
India confirmed the death of Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd), the Indian national who was working with the UN in Gaza. In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "We are deeply saddened by the death of Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd), Security Coordination Officer in the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS) in Gaza on May 13."
The ministry further informed that India's Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and Missions in Tel Aviv and Ramallah "are extending all assistance in the repatriation of mortal remains to India"
They "continue to be in touch with relevant authorities regarding the investigation into the incident," the ministry said.
How did retired Colonel Kale die?
Kale, 46, died while travelling in a vehicle to a hospital in the Khan Younis area from Rafah. He reportedly died in war-torn Rafah in Gaza when the vehicle he was travelling in was attacked by shots fired from what the UN believes was an Israeli tank.
The UN informed that the shots that killed the Indian national on Monday in Rafah came from the Israeli tank. The UN has how established a fact-finding panel to probe the matter.
"What we know so far indicates that a weapon appears to have impacted the back of a white UN vehicle, carrying two UN staff members, killing one and injuring another. The deceased staff member has been identified. He is Waibhav Anil Kale of India, and we send our condolences to his family," Haq said.
"It’s very early in the investigation, and details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defence Force...The wounded one is from Jordan. We’re awaiting her recovery," the UN said.
Who is Colonel Waibhav Anil Kale (Retd)?
Colonel Waibhav Anil had retired from the Indian Army in 2022. He was commissioned into the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army and had taken retirement two years ago to join the UN, news agency ANI reported.
The retired Indian Army officer was working with the UN Department of Safety and Security.
Kale is the "first international casualty" for the world body since the Israel-Hamas conflict started last year. Haq confirmed that this was the “first international casualty” for the UN in Gaza and added that currently, the world body has 71 international staff in Gaza.
Kale is now survived by a wife and two kids.
UN chief António Guterres also expressed sadness to learn of Kale’s death and injury to the other DSS staffer and condemned all attacks on UN personnel. He said that more than 190 UN staff have been killed in Gaza.
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Business NewsNewsIndiaIndian national Waibhav Anil Kale dies in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war: Who was he?
First Published:15 May 2024, 03:07 PM IST
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