Truckers recount ‘barbaric’ settler attack on Gaza aid convoy

Posted on May 18, 2024 by uprootedpalestinians

May 17, 2024

A worker clears piles of spilled food parcels scattered across the ground in a lorry park after Israeli settlers attacked Gaza aid trucks. (*AFP*/Getty Images)

The incident, which unfolded in broad daylight, has rightfully sparked international condemnation, shedding light on the dire circumstances faced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Palestinian truck drivers delivering aid to Gaza recounted “barbaric” scenes as their vehicles were obstructed and vandalized by Israeli settlers, hindering the delivery of vital humanitarian supplies to a population facing severe hunger.

The attack, which occurred on Monday at the Tarqumiya checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, saw drivers and contractors targeted. They also asserted that Israeli soldiers escorting the convoy did nothing to prevent the assault.

The incident drew international condemnation after videos on social media showed Israeli settlers throwing boxes of essential supplies to the ground and setting at least one vehicle on fire.

Zionist settlers attack and destroy food on aid trucks headed for Gaza. pic.twitter.com/FDhiZjjRgp
— Lowkey (@Lowkey0nline) May 15, 2024

Zionist terrorists set fire to aid trucks full of food meant for Palestinian children.

These terrorists are not civilians, they are part of the genocidal siege, and they must be dealt with accordingly. pic.twitter.com/TcnZujcSeE
— Syrian Girl 🇸🇾 (@Partisangirl) May 16, 2024

Yazid al-Zoubi, 26, stated that the convoy consisted of 50 to 60 trucks.

“We were carrying oil, sugar, and other things and driving from the Tarqumiya crossing,” he said, as quoted by The Guardian. “We left in a convoy with an army vehicle in front of us and an army vehicle behind us, and we took a special army road that civilians could not cross. Suddenly, after 20 minutes on the road, near the crossing, we were surprised by at least 400 settlers. They attacked us. The rest of the drivers and I escaped from the vehicles after the settlers starting throwing stones at us.’’

BREAKING: Settlers block Aid truck and ATTACK driver.

Much needed aid was headed to Gaza, where there's a severe food shortage and people have died of hunger.

Yesterday, Settler mobs destroyed Aid. Today they decided to beat up the driver.

These are "God's chosen people" pic.twitter.com/mP6tGetObf
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) May 15, 2024

IOF at ‘the service of settlers’

Zoubi recounted that the situation escalated when settlers began smashing the lorries’ windscreens and puncturing their tires. They then climbed onto the vehicles and tossed food packages onto the road.

This comes although aid agencies have reported famine conditions in Gaza, attributing them to Israeli restrictions on aid entering the territory. Humanitarian officials state that Gaza’s population requires at least 500 truckloads of food, fuel, and other essentials daily, but they have received only a small portion of that, with weeks going by without one truck of aid coming into the enclave.

During Monday’s attack, Zoubi said the Israeli soldiers escorting the convoy stood by and watched as the settlers went on a rampage.

“Even though they were present and watching what was happening. The army was at the service of the settlers,’’ he stressed.

Zoubi mentioned that the drivers initially fled the scene but were attacked by armed settlers when they returned later to collect their belongings.

‘’At that point the army gathered us and ordered us to raise our hands on the walls,” he stated. “The settlers were free to terrorize us. I have never been attacked so brutally before.”

“The state of terror I experienced is indescribable. Even now I have nightmares at night. My psychological state is broken, I cannot think properly, I can’t sleep. I cannot work. We are not smugglers. We agreed to transport goods legally from the crossing under the watch and supervision of the Israeli authorities.”

“What happened is serious”

Haitham Abu Khairo, who was also part of the aid convoy and owned one of the vandalized trucks, reported losing approximately 250,000 Israeli shekels (£53,700) in the attack, as per The Guardian.

“I managed to escape but what happened is serious,” he stressed.

The violence has reportedly led dozens of Palestinian drivers to refuse to transport supplies to Gaza. Adel Amer, a member of a West Bank haulers’ union, said, as quoted by Reuters, that around 15 trucks were damaged in the attack, with total damages amounting to approximately £1.6 million.

This month, the UK and EU imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers, including those accused of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The US has also sanctioned a few individuals and organizations connected to attacks on Palestinian civilians, with the initial measures announced in February and expanded twice in March and April.

Israeli police claimed that the incident is currently under investigation.

Not an isolated incident

Monday’s attack was claimed by a settler group called Order 9. This incident is not the first attempt by Israeli settlers to obstruct the flow of much-needed aid to Gaza amid the ongoing genocide. Last week, demonstrators blocked a road near the desert town of Mitzpe Ramon in protest against aid lorries entering Gaza.

Settlers attacked and injured a Palestinian and burned his truck north of Ramallah after thinking he was carrying aid to the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/GiYFOIl0yN
— cheri⁷ 🔻 (@jinsjiddies) May 16, 2024

Throughout this year, violence frequently broke out at crossings from “Israel” into Gaza, disrupting aid shipments to the territory. In March, the International Court of Justice instructed “Israel” to ensure unimpeded access of food aid into Gaza.