BRUSSELS

Bulgaria has opened pre-trial proceedings into the death of Capt. Marin Marinov, a Bulgarian United Nations security officer killed in an Israeli tank strike on the Gaza Strip earlier this year, local media reported Thursday.

The Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office launched the investigation on May 19 following a formal complaint by lawyer Mincho Spasov, according to the Novinite news portal.

Marinov was killed on March 19 when an Israeli tank reportedly targeted a UN guesthouse in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, according to an investigative report by The Washington Post. Five other individuals were injured in the same strike.

Bulgarian authorities are investigating the incident under Article 116 of the Penal Code, which covers the murder of a person under international protection.

On April 24, the Israeli army officially acknowledged that Marinov’s death was caused by a tank shell fired by Israeli forces.

The strike prompted the United Nations to withdraw around 30 international staff from Gaza due to escalating safety concerns for its personnel.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip - now in their second year - have killed at least 60,933 Palestinians and wounded 150,027, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.