They are sending the United Nations (UN) employee Marin Marinov, who died in Gaza, to his hometown of Yambol on his last journey. The service began at the central church “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker“, where hundreds of his relatives, friends and colleagues from the world organization, representatives of the Palestine Association in Bulgaria, gathered. The service will continue until 3:00 p.m., after which the 51-year-old captain Marinov will be buried in the Yambol cemetery park.
People close to Marinov's family insist that Bulgaria conduct its own investigation. According to them, the position of our state at the moment is inadequate. “The state did nothing. Some are not guilty, others are not guilty, and in the end there is no one to blame. Our leaders must take action and seek the truth. Are they asking this mother how she will survive this“, commented Fiyka Svetlichkova to BTA. “The state should conduct an investigation, but will it?“, pointed out another close person – Koyna Yordanova.
“I am not a diplomat, but I served in the army for 10 years and I have an opinion. The problem is that at the moment there are bilateral relations towards the various victims of the conflict in Gaza. But, you know, this is a UN building – I do not believe in Israeli mistakes. "I participated in exercises with Israelis, they are extremely disciplined soldiers," commented a woman in front of the temple, who requested anonymity.
The circumstances under which the 51-year-old Bulgarian died on March 19 in Deir al-Balah in the central part of Gaza during the destruction of a building of the international organization, and five of his colleagues from different countries were seriously injured, during their participation in a UN humanitarian mission, have not yet been clarified.
The UN announced that the strike on their facility by an Israeli tank led to the death of the 51-year-old Bulgarian, and five more employees of the world organization were injured. Following a decision by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the UN announced that it was withdrawing a third of its international staff from Gaza following the attack.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar assured his Bulgarian counterpart Georg Georgiev in a telephone conversation that the tragic incident was in no way related to actions by the Israeli Defense Forces on land, air or water, but that the investigation was continuing.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev explained that due to the renewed military operations in Gaza, the situation there remains very complex at the moment and makes it extremely difficult for any country, except those on the ground, to conduct an investigation.