Israel Demands Apology From Belgium Over Aid Worker Killed in Gaza

Israel's embassy in Belgium has demanded an apology from the Belgian government after it emerged that a Palestinian employee of the Belgian development agency Enabel, killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah on April 24, 2024, was a member of Hamas. Abdullah Jamal Subhi Nabhan, who worked for Enabel as a "business development officer," was killed along with his seven-year-old son, father, brother, and niece in the strike. At the time, Enabel and then-Belgian Development Minister Caroline Gennez condemned the attack, and then-Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib summoned Israel's ambassador to Belgium for an explanation. The Israeli ambassador expressed sorrow for civilian deaths, stating the targeted building belonged to a senior Hamas official and that an investigation was ongoing.

Following the strike, Israel provided Belgian authorities with names of Hamas operatives working for Enabel, but the agency reportedly took no action. New information surfaced on September 4, 2026, from open-source researcher Gabriel Epstein, who identified Nabhan as a member of Hamas's Khan Younis battalion. Epstein presented an obituary from a Hamas-affiliated channel describing Nabhan as a "mujahid" (jihad fighter) and including a photo of him in uniform. A relative's 2025 post also referred to Nabhan and his brother as "mujahideen."

In response to these revelations, Israel's embassy in Belgium stated on X that the new information confirmed Nabhan's affiliation with Hamas. The embassy emphasized the importance of facts before condemning Israel, asserting that those who previously accused Israel should now acknowledge the evidence. Israel's Ambassador to Belgium, David Saranga, publicly called for a "public apology" or even a private one, sparking significant debate within the Belgian political sphere. Belgium recently transitioned to a center-right government following elections, replacing a center-left, liberal-progressive coalition.