Gaza - The Israeli military confirmed that a Palestinian employee of the US charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) was killed Saturday after Gaza rescuers announced the deaths of three aid workers following an Israeli air strike.

The army claimed in a statement that the worker was a "terrorist" who "infiltrated Israel and took part in the October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Nir Oz" and "worked for the WCK organization."

Representatives from the Israeli military unit responsible for overseeing humanitarian needs in Gaza "demanded senior officials from the international community and the WCK administration to clarify the issue and order an urgent examination regarding the hiring of workers who took part in the October 7 massacre," the statement said.

The charity has yet to comment on the Gaza civil defense agency's earlier statement that three Palestinian WCK workers were killed in the strike or the allegations from the army.

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Earlier Saturday, civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the bodies of "at least five dead were transported [to the hospital], including the three employees of World Central Kitchen".

"All three men worked for WCK, and they were hit while driving in a WCK jeep in Khan Yunis," Bassal said, adding that the vehicle had been "marked with its logo clearly visible."

In April, an Israeli air strike killed seven WCK staff – an Australian, three Britons, a North American, a Palestinian, and a Pole.

Israel said it had been targeting a "Hamas gunman" in that strike, but the military admitted a series of "grave mistakes" and violations of its own rules of engagement.

World Central Kitchen later said it was "pausing operations in Gaza at this time" after the latest deadly Israeli strike.

Israel has killed at least 44,382 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory's health ministry – though the true death toll is feared to be much higher.