Protesters from the Tzav 9 movement vandalized several humanitarian aid trucks that were headed to Gaza near the Tarqumiya Checkpoint near Hebron in the southern West Bank on Monday, according to Israeli media.
משאית אספקת סיוע לעזה הועלתה באש בהר חברון pic.twitter.com/gBf8oCKmVF
— ינון מגל (@YinonMagal) May 13, 2024
Later in the evening, protesters torched the trucks and the aid on them. A photo of the incident circulated on social media with the text "a torch for the hostages from Neguhot." Neguhot is a settlement near where the aid was torched. The torch is an allusion to the torches lit at the annual Independence Day ceremony in Israel.
ישראלים משתלטים על משאית עם סיוע הומניטרי לרצועת עזה. pic.twitter.com/QAhpcDnDp9
— יוני בן מנחם yoni ben menachem (@yonibmen) May 13, 2024
Footage from the scene showed protesters blocking the trucks during the siren marking a moment of silence for Remembrance Day, after which they climbed onto the trucks and began ripping aid off and throwing it onto the road.
תיעוד: מפגינים מתנועת "צו 9" חוסמים במעבר תרקומיא משאיות עם סיוע הומניטרי שיצאו מחברון לרצועת עזה - בזמן הצפירה@hod_barel pic.twitter.com/in2BSH7SWG
— גלצ (@GLZRadio) May 13, 2024
"It is unfathomable to the mind and heart that precisely on Remembrance Day, the Israeli government opens a supply route from the Palestinian Authority in Hebron to the Hamas terrorists in Gaza," said the Regavim movement on Monday. "We will not be the silver platter on which the Gaza Strip was given for the establishment of the Palestinian state!"
The Tzav 9 movement rejected some of the actions of the protesters on Monday evening, stating, "With all the pain and anger that has built up in the entire national in the face of the mighty oiled machine that was quietly set up here to smuggle trucks without the citizens of Israel knowing anything about it, acts were committed today that are not in line with the values of our movement."
"The pain and concern for our boys and girls who have been groaning in the captivity of the murderers for many months, and in front of them the terrible decisions of the cabinet to continue pampering Sinwar and the Nukhba terrorists, contrary to their statements from the beginning of the war, led us to stand up and take action," added the movement. "For the sake of the soldiers and for the hostages, blocking the trucks is an effective and practical step in which we shout that 'no aid passes until the last of the hostages returns.'"
"With great determination and while maintaining the law and the honor of the dear members of the security forces, we will continue to fight until the return of our hostages home."
US stresses humanitarian aid should not be impeded
The United States on Monday raised with Israel an incident of protesters blocking aid trucks headed for Gaza, US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Monday, adding that humanitarian assistance into the enclave should not be impeded.
Right-wing protesters have repeatedly blocked aid trucks headed for Gaza in recent months, including in recent incidents in Jerusalem, Mitzpe Ramon, and the West Bank.
UK's Cameron says attacks on Gaza aid convoys 'appalling'
British foreign minister David Cameron said on Tuesday attacks on aid convoys headed for Gaza were "appalling" and that Israel must hold those responsible to account.
"Attacks by extremists on aid convoys en route to Gaza are appalling. Gazans are at risk of famine and in desperate need of supplies," Cameron wrote on X.
"Israel must hold attackers to account and do more to allow aid in – I will be raising my concerns with the Israeli government."