2:44 PM ET, May 13, 2024
Israeli activists vandalize aid truck bound for Gaza
By Lauren Isso, Kareem Kader, Tara John and Eugenia Yosef, CNN A screenshot of the video shows Israeli activists blocking the path of an aid truck and throwing aid packages to the ground.Kantukome/Reuters
A shipment of humanitarian aid destined for Gaza was intercepted and looted by Israeli activists who objected to sending aid to Palestinians living in the besieged enclave.
Video from the Tarkmiyah checkpoint near Hebron in the West Bank, where the convoy was passing, showed at least two trucks looted and bags and boxes of food strewn on the road. .
Other footage showed activists blocking the path of aid trucks, throwing aid to the ground and stomping on boxes.
It is unclear whether the aid came from Jordan or the Palestinian Authority.
The Regavim movement, which opposes aid transfers to Gaza, said: “We will not become a ‘silver platter’ for the Palestinian Authority.”
It added: “On the very day of Israel’s commemoration of fallen soldiers and victims of hostilities, the Israeli government opened a supply route from the Palestinian Authority in Hebron to Hamas terrorists in Hebron. , it’s unbelievable for both mind and body,” he added. Gaza. ”
Regavim and activists from another group, Tsav 9, were involved in the disruption of the convoy.
Israeli police subsequently launched an investigation and announced the arrest of several activists in connection with the wiretaps.
The United States brought this case to the Israeli government.
Our strong view is that aid cannot and must not be interfered with,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said at a press conference.
“We have raised this case with the Israeli government and we hope that the government will take appropriate action,” he added.
The ministry has previously condemned several other attacks on aid convoys by Israeli activists and called on Israel to hold the alleged perpetrators accountable.
Palestinians caught in the middle of a war between Israel and Hamas are struggling to get enough food and water to survive. According to the World Food Program, northern Gaza is currently in the midst of “full-scale famine.” According to the Integrated Food Security Tiering, half of Gaza’s population is expected to face catastrophic hunger by mid-July, leaving all 2.2 million people unable to meet their food needs.
This post has been updated to include responses from Israeli police and the U.S. State Department.
