In a deeply concerning incident, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike on a humanitarian aid convoy in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of five individuals. The incident occurred shortly after Israel agreed to implement “humanitarian pauses” to facilitate the vaccination of children against polio.
The IDF justified the airstrike by claiming that it targeted “armed assailants” who had “tried to hijack” the aid convoy. However, Anera, the US-based NGO that organized the convoy, vehemently refuted this assertion, stating that the victims were employees of the transport company they worked with.
The convoy, carrying medical supplies and fuel for an Emirati-run hospital in Rafah, was attacked on Thursday evening as it was en route to its destination. The airstrike came just hours after Israeli soldiers fired on a World Food Programme (WFP) vehicle, clearly marked with UN insignia, traveling in a convoy of two. The WFP reported that the vehicle was struck by at least 10 bullets while approaching an IDF checkpoint.
Cindy McCain, head of the WFP, condemned the shooting as “totally unacceptable” and called for an overhaul of the deconfliction system, noting that “the current system is failing and this cannot go on any longer.”
Unconfirmed reports from Gaza, as per The Guardian, indicate that five people were killed in the airstrike. Sandra Rasheed, Anera’s Palestine country director, expressed shock at the incident, emphasizing that the convoy had been coordinated with and approved by Israeli authorities. She confirmed that an Anera employee, who was traveling in the convoy, was unharmed, but tragically, several individuals employed by the transport company lost their lives in the attack.
The IDF acknowledged that the route had been coordinated, but asserted that “during the convoy’s movement, a number of armed assailants seized control of the vehicle in the front of the convoy (a Jeep) and began to lead it”. The Israeli military claimed that a strike was conducted after “further verification that a precise strike on the armed assailants’ vehicle could be carried out”, and that no damage was inflicted on other vehicles in the convoy. They maintained that the strike “removed the threat of them seizing control over the humanitarian convoy.”
The IDF subsequently contacted Anera, confirming that all convoy members and humanitarian aid reached their destination as planned. However, Anera countered that only one person, their employee, was traveling in the convoy, and the rest were from the partner transport company, which was not named. Anera expressed concern, stating that they are “urgently seeking further details about what happened.”
This incident underscores the precarious situation in Gaza, raising concerns about the safety of humanitarian aid and the effectiveness of deconfliction mechanisms in the region. It remains crucial to investigate the incident thoroughly and ensure the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers in the conflict zone.
