Israeli protesters block, vandalize aid trucks from West Bank to besieged Gaza

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli protesters blocked humanitarian aid trucks on their way to the besieged Gaza Strip on Monday.

Video clips shared on social media showed protesters vandalizing several aid trucks near the Tarqumiya checkpoint near the West Bank city of Hebron, climbing onto the trucks, ripping aid off and throwing it onto the road, Israeli Army Radio reported.

Similar protests were staged in the past week with protesters demanding the release of Israelis held captive by Hamas in return for allowing aid into the Gaza Strip.

Last week, Hamas, which is believed to be holding nearly 130 Israelis since its Oct. 7 cross-border attack, accepted a proposal drawn by Egypt and Qatar for a cease-fire in Gaza.

But Israel said the truce offer did not meet its key demands and decided to push ahead with an operation in Rafah, home to more than 1.5 million displaced people, to apply "military pressure on Hamas with the goal of making progress on freeing the hostages and the other war aims.”

Nearly 35,100 Palestinians have been killed and over 78,800 others injured in a brutal Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip since the Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people.

The Palestinian group demands an end to Israel’s ongoing military offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage swap with Tel Aviv.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). An interim ruling in January said it is "plausible" that Tel Aviv is committing genocide in Gaza, ordering it to stop such acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar