DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has halted diplomatic relations with Israel over the killing of six international aid workers and their Palestinian driver in Gaza, it emerged on Friday.
Reports said the Emirati ambassador to Israel has termed the killing of the aid workers “a darkest day’
An Israeli airstrike killed six international aid workers with the World Central Kitchen and their Palestinian driver, the charity said on Tuesday.
The food charity, founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, later immediately suspended operations in Gaza where ongoing war has pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to the brink of starvation.
Besides the UAE, several other countries including France have express outrage over killing of the charity workers, calling it unacceptable.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a statement, claimed that the killing of the aid workers was “unintentional.
The death toll in Gaza has surged past 33,000 as Israeli forces continue to hit the region with military strikes since October 7 attack by Hamas.
The UAE had normalised diplomatic relations with Israel in September 2020 when it along with other countries signed the US-brokered Abraham Accord deal.
