(BrightPress.org) – Trucks filled with humanitarian aid packages destined for Gaza were blocked and ransacked by Israeli protesters on Monday, May 13th at the Tarqumiya checkpoint west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
An activist group called the Tzav 9 was responsible for the attack on the aid trucks. The group reportedly blocked the aid from reaching Gaza in protest of hostages being held by Hamas since the terrorist organization attacked Israel on October 7th that have not been recovered. One protester, 33-year-old Hana Giat said the people of Gaza should not receive food or aid until all hostages are returned “healthy and alive.”
Video of the incident shows activists throwing boxes and bags filled with food to the ground and trampling them until they were destroyed. Images later posted to social media showed the trucks being set on fire.
The UN’s World Food Programme said Palestinians in northern Gaza are experiencing a “full-blown famine” as a result of this war. Israel has now launched an operation in eastern Rafah which has blocked the delivery of humanitarian aid through Egypt causing conditions to deteriorate in southern Gaza. More than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military began their mission to wipe out Hamas after the attacks on October 7th.
Israeli police said an investigation had been opened into the attack on the aid trucks and claimed several suspects have been arrested. Tzav 9 told the media that acts committed by protesters in the attack were “not in line” with their values but went on to say that simply blocking the trucks would be an effective way to convey the message that Gaza should receive no aid until the hostages are returned.
United States national security adviser Jake Sullivan called the protesters’ actions against the aid trucks unacceptable and promised the White House was taking its concerns to the “highest level” of the Israeli government.
The incident occurred on Israel’s Memorial Day.
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