Those who attack Gaza aid trucks are militias backed by gov't: Israeli opposition leader

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid on Tuesday said those who attack the humanitarian aid trucks for the war-torn Gaza are militias backed by the Israeli government.

Speaking to the Israeli Army Radio, Lapid said the rioters who have attacked the aid trucks were militias backed by Israel's ruling regime, in reference to the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Over the past few weeks, illegal Israeli settlers have attacked and vandalized dozens of aid trucks traveling from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.

Last week, an Israeli far-right group, known as "Tzav 9" movement, vowed to continue to block aid deliveries into the besieged Gaza Strip.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip last October, leaving the territory’s entire population on the verge of starvation.

The siege is part of a deadly offensive launched by Tel Aviv on the Palestinian enclave following a Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023.

More than 35,600 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 79,600 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

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 stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar