How was a UN aid convoy robbed near Israeli military positions?

The looting of 97 trucks of a UN assistance convoy successful show of Israeli subject installations astatine the Karem Abu Salem crossing (Kerem Shalom for Israelis) has exacerbated the suffering of the blockaded Gaza Strip, already successful an acute humanitarian crisis.

The 109-truck convoy of assistance shipments from respective UN agencies was intercepted by equipped men connected Saturday nighttime who forced the drivers to unload cargo astatine gunpoint, injured assistance workers and damaged the vehicles, the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said.

UNRWA did not place the perpetrators, lone saying the origin was the “total breakdown of civilian order” among a colonisation that the Israeli authorities are, according to the agency, liable for ensuring receives capable assistance to conscionable its basal needs.

The tv channel, Al-Aqsa, reported that Hamas’s Interior Ministry sources successful Gaza had confirmed much than 20 of the pack members suspected of carrying retired the robbery had been killed by Hamas information forces acting successful coordination with tribal committees.

Anyone caught taking portion successful akin looting would beryllium treated with “an robust fist”, it said.

How superior was this?

Very.

According to Al Jazeera analogous Maram Humaid, fears among Palestinians centre connected the imaginable of the “imminent famine” facing Gaza’s south, successful summation to that successful the blockaded north.

Food, including basics specified arsenic flour and vegetables, is astir intolerable to root and, successful the uncommon instances it tin beryllium found, is often priced beyond the scope of many.

Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance destined for the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing struggle successful Gaza betwixt Israel and Hamas, queue astatine the Karem Abu Salem crossing successful confederate Israel, November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (Reuters)

How atrocious was it before?

Intensely.

The magnitude of nutrient allowed into Gaza by the Israeli subject successful October fell to astir a quarter of the mean for the remainder of the year.

In the northbound of Gaza, blockaded by the Israeli subject since aboriginal October, conditions person been described by UN heads arsenic “apocalyptic”.

Despite Israel failing to conscionable nearly each the conditions acceptable retired successful an ultimatum by its main ally, the United States, to amended the hopeless conditions successful Gaza, nary enactment was taken.

Moreover, Israel’s volition to fundamentally prohibition UNRWA, the UN’s main assistance bureau successful Gaza, has besides continued unchecked contempt planetary protests.

UNRWA head, Phillipe Lazzarini, told the state-run Turkish property bureau Anadolu connected Monday determination was nary “Plan B” for assistance transportation to Gaza, assistance that supported the astir 2.2 cardinal radical trapped wrong the enclave.

Palestinians enactment up for escaped nutrient during the ongoing Israeli aerial and crushed violative successful Rafah, connected January 9, 2024 [Hatem Ali/AP Photo]

Why didn’t the Israeli service bash thing erstwhile equipped groups attacked the convoy?

It’s unclear.

The raid took spot adjacent the heavy fortified – by Israel – Karem Abu Salem crossing betwixt Gaza and Israel.

Palestinians successful Gaza person told Al Jazeera of their disorder implicit how, successful 1 of the astir heavy surveilled territories connected the planet, the beingness of truthful galore equipped men could person gone undetected.

The Washington Post said it had obtained an interior UN memo from October that said the gangs successful Gaza “may beryllium benefitting from a passive if not progressive benevolence” oregon “protection” from the Israeli army.

One pack leader, the memo said, had established a “military-like compound” successful an country “restricted, controlled and patrolled by the IDF (Israeli army)”.

Earlier this month, Israeli paper Haaretz reported connected equipped Palestinian gangs routinely raiding assistance convoys entering done Karem Abu Salem, an country ostensibly nether the power of the Israeli army.

“I saw 1 Israeli tank, and a Palestinian equipped with a Kalashnikov [rifle] conscionable 100 metres [about 328 feet] from it,” a elder authoritative from an organisation moving successful Gaza told the newspaper.

“The equipped men bushed the drivers and instrumentality each the nutrient if they aren’t paid [protection money].”

Palestinians fly during an Israeli subject cognition successful Beit Lahiya successful the bluish Gaza Strip, November 17, 2024 [Stringer/Reuters]

Have Israelis illegally blocked assistance before?

Yes.

In May, outgoing Israeli constabulary main Kobi Shabtai said Ben-Gvir had prevented him from protecting assistance convoys from the Israeli far-right and settler protesters looking to artifact alleviation from reaching Gaza.

The aforesaid month, the UK’s Guardian paper reported that idiosyncratic members of Israel’s information services and subject were tipping disconnected protesters connected the timing and transition of assistance trucks into Gaza to let for their interception.

Late past week, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told Israel National News that helium was opposed to immoderate signifier of humanitarian assistance entering Gaza.

Criticising the furniture determination to marginally summation assistance successful airy of the US ultimatum, the far-right curate told the channel: “I judge that arsenic agelong arsenic we person hostages successful Gaza, we indispensable not springiness immoderate concessions to the Strip, not adjacent to the civilian population.”

Israeli far-right curate Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a gathering by right-wing activists adjacent the borderline with Gaza connected October 21, 2024 [Menahem Kahana/AFP]

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies