Israeli settlers attack Gaza humanitarian convoy, destroy food aid

Around 250 Israeli settlers blocked dozens of humanitarian aid trucks from heading to the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip overnight Monday, attacking them and destroying their contents.

The protesters blocked traffic in Latrun, a small illegal settlement close to Jerusalem, before breaking into the trucks and throwing their contents on the floor despite attempts by the police to reopen the road.

Six people were arrested, the Israeli police announced on Tuesday.

A group called the "Order 9 movement" had announced earlier on Monday that its activists would block trucks from reaching Gaza until those kidnapped by Hamas are freed.

Videos shared online showed the protesters sabotaging the aid trucks as they raised Israeli trucks, with food and other aid on the floor.

Israelis cutting off the road in front of humanitarian aid trucks coming through Jordan at the Latrun interchange in the West Bank and are sabotaging the trucks and their contents of food supplies.

اسرائيليون يقطعون الطريق أمام شاحنات المساعدات الإنسانية القادمة عبر الأردن عند… pic.twitter.com/LNzWs48KzV

— Khaled Yousry (@KhaledYousry22) May 7, 2024

Since the start of this year, Israelis have gathered at border crossings with Gaza to prevent essential supplies like food, fuel, and medicine from entering the enclave, demanding that hostages still being held by Palestinian group Hamas are released.

Earlier this month, Jordan accused extremist Israeli settlers of attacking two Jordanian aid convoys carrying food to Gaza, one through the Kerem Shalom crossing and another through a crossing in the northern Gaza Strip.

Hamas on Monday said it accepted a proposed ceasefire deal by Egypt and Qatar, which would see captives swapped for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

But Israeli officials sounded pessimistic, saying it did not respect Israel’s demands, vowing to go ahead with an assault on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

On October 7, Hamas led an attack in southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of about 1,170 people. About 250 others were taken hostage, and Israel says around 130 of them remain in Gaza.

Hamas says the attack came in retaliation to Israel’s decades-old occupation of Palestine and continued aggression against the Palestinian people, including the blockade of Gaza which has been in place since 2007.

The October 7 incursion triggered Israel’s biggest-ever war on Gaza. The seven-month air and ground offensive has killed close to 34,800 people, with thousands more believed to be buried beneath the rubble.

The war has also pushed Gaza to the brink of famine, with vital aid often being blocked by Israel.