The looting of 97 trucks from a UN humanitarian convoy in sight of Israeli military installations at the Karem Abu Salem crossing (Kerem Shalom for Israelis) has exacerbated the suffering of the blockaded Gaza Strip, already in the grip of a acute humanitarian crisis.
The convoy of 109 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from several UN agencies was intercepted on Saturday evening by armed men who forced the drivers to unload the cargo at gunpoint, injuring aid workers and damaged vehicles, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said.
UNRWA did not identify the perpetrators, saying only that the cause was the “total breakdown of civil order” among a population that Israeli authorities say are responsible for ensuring. that she receives enough help to meet her basic needs.
Al-Aqsa TV reported that Hamas Interior Ministry sources in Gaza confirmed that more than 20 of the gang members suspected of carrying out the robbery were killed by Hamas security forces acting in coordination with tribal committees.
Anyone caught participating in similar looting would be treated with “an iron fist,” it says.
How serious was it?
Very.
According to Tel Aviv Tribune correspondent Maram Humaid, Palestinian fears are focused on the prospect of an “imminent famine” in southern Gaza, in addition to that in the blockaded north.
Food, including basics like flour and vegetables, is almost impossible to find, and in the rare cases that it can be found, it is often priced out of reach of many.
How bad was it before?
Intensely.
The amount of food allowed into Gaza by the Israeli military in October fell to about a quarter of the average for the rest of the year.
In northern Gaza, blocked by the Israeli army since early October, conditions have been described as “apocalyptic” by UN leaders.
Although Israel has failed to meet almost all of the conditions set out in its main ally the United States’ ultimatum to improve desperate conditions in Gaza, no action has been taken.
Moreover, Israel’s intention to essentially ban UNRWA, the main UN aid agency in Gaza, has also continued unchecked despite international protests.
UNRWA chief Phillipe Lazzarini told Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency on Monday that there was no “plan B” for delivering aid to Gaza, aid that supported the approximately 2.2 million people stuck in the enclave.
Why did the Israeli army do nothing when armed groups attacked the convoy?
It’s not clear.
The raid took place near the heavily fortified – by Israel – Karem Abu Salem crossing between Gaza and Israel.
Palestinians in Gaza told Tel Aviv Tribune of their confusion over how, in one of the most heavily patrolled territories on the planet, the presence of so many armed men could have gone unnoticed.
The Washington Post said it had obtained an internal UN memo from October that said Gaza gangs “could benefit from passive or even active benevolence” or “protection” from the military Israeli.
A gang leader, according to the memo, had established a “military-style compound” in an area “restricted, controlled and patrolled by the IDF.”
Earlier this month, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that armed Palestinian gangs regularly attacked humanitarian convoys entering through Karem Abu Salem, an area apparently under the control of the Israeli army.
“I saw an Israeli tank and a Palestinian armed with a Kalashnikov (rifle) just 100 meters (about 328 feet) away,” a senior official from an organization working in Gaza told the newspaper.
“The gunmen beat the drivers and take all the food if they are not paid (protection money).”
Have the Israelis ever illegally blocked aid?
Yes.
In May, outgoing Israeli police chief Kobi Shabtai said Ben-Gvir had prevented him from protecting aid convoys from Israeli far-right and settler protesters who sought to prevent humanitarian aid from reach Gaza.
The same month, the British Guardian newspaper reported that members of the Israeli security services and army informed protesters of the timing and passage of aid trucks into Gaza in order to allow their interception.
Late last week, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told Israel National News that he was opposed to any form of humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
Criticizing the cabinet’s decision to slightly increase aid in light of the US ultimatum, the far-right minister told the broadcaster: “I believe that as long as we have hostages in Gaza, we should not do no concessions to the gang, not even the civilian population. »