Bulgaria Holds Off on Blaming Israel for the Death of Humanitarian Worker Marin Marinov

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has so far refrained from attributing responsibility to Israel for the death of Bulgarian humanitarian worker Marin Marinov in Gaza, citing concerns over potential legal implications. This cautious stance is outlined in a written response by Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev (GERB) to a parliamentary question from MP Ivaylo Mirchev of the "We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC–DB) coalition.

Three weeks after Marinov and six other humanitarian workers lost their lives in a strike on a UN building in the Gaza Strip, the Bulgarian government has yet to publicly hold Tel Aviv accountable or request a formal apology. Although the United Nations confirmed on March 25 that the strike was carried out by an Israeli tank, Israel continues to deny involvement.

Minister Georgiev's response references findings by UN Under-Secretary-General for Security and Safety, Gilles Michaud. According to the UN, explosive experts determined that the workers were killed by a 120 mm high-energy shell fired from a MERKAVA tank—equipment exclusively used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Nevertheless, Israel maintains that its military was not operating in the vicinity of the incident.

Georgiev noted that during a March 19 phone call, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar told him the IDF had no involvement in the attack and that an internal investigation is ongoing. On March 23, Bulgaria received an official note from Israel’s Foreign Ministry reiterating that no IDF actions were conducted in the area and no Israeli strike had been detected.

According to Georgiev, the MFA’s top priority is to establish the full truth based on official investigations. He stressed that premature statements not backed by verified evidence could result in legal consequences for Bulgaria. The Ministry has stated it will issue an official position once final reports are complete.

Although the Foreign Minister has promised that Bulgaria will demand accountability, an apology, compensation for the victim’s family, and measures to prevent future incidents, he did not explicitly name Israel as the responsible party.

The MFA maintains that the results of the ongoing “comprehensive investigation” will determine Bulgaria’s next steps. Since the beginning, the ministry has taken a reserved approach. After receiving initial information on March 19, Georgiev described early suggestions of Israeli responsibility as “speculation” during a March 21 interview on BNT’s "Panorama" programa.

Even after the UN experts' findings pointed directly to an Israeli tank shell as the cause of the fatal incident, the Bulgarian government continues to exercise caution in its public statements.