Kerem Shalom aid convoy looting
| Part of the Israel–Hamas war and the Gaza humanitarian crisis | |
  Kerem Shalom Location within the Gaza Strip | |
| Date | 16 November 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza Strip |
| Perpetrator | Armed gangsters Israel Defense Forces (indirectly) |
| Outcome | 98 out of 109 UN aid convoys looted |
On 16 November 2024, Israeli-backed armed gangs raided a convoy of 109 United Nations aid trucks and looted 98 of them, near Israeli military installations at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the Gaza Strip. The perpetrators, who according to a UN memo may have had "protection" from the Israel Defense Forces, threw grenades and held truck drivers at gunpoint, forcing them to unload their aid. The incident further exacerbated the Gaza humanitarian crisis caused by the Israel–Hamas war.[1][2][3] The incident has been described by the UNRWA as "one of the worst" incidents of its kind.[4]
Background
[edit]The Israel–Hamas war and Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has resulted in a humanitarian crisis and famine in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli blockade severely restricted the entry of aid trucks into the Gaza Strip. Israeli targeting of civilian police officers who were responsible for guarding humanitarian convoys caused civil order to start collapsing by February 2024. This led to a rise in civilians and criminals raiding trucks and stealing supplies from the UN, slowing aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli seizure and closure of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in May 2024, following the Rafah offensive, significantly reduced the number of aid trucks entering Gaza and shifted most of the humanitarian traffic to the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing.[3]
The United Nations and international humanitarian aid organizations reported losing $25.5 million worth of humanitarian goods to looting over the summer.[3]
Incident
[edit]The raid took place during the night of 16 November 2024 near the heavily fortified Israeli-controlled Karem Shalom border crossing in the Gaza Strip. The perpetrators threw grenades and held truck drivers at gunpoint, forcing them to unload their aid. The perpetrators have also killed, beaten, and kidnapped the drivers and damaged their trucks. The UNRWA reported that looters shot at the trucks and detained a driver for hours, in addition to causing "injuries to transporters" and "extensive vehicle damage".[3] The incident sparked confusion among local Palestinians, who expressed confusion over the fact that several armed men went undetected in a highly surveilled area.[2] According to the UNRWA, the convoy was instructed by the IDF to "depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route" from Kerem Shalom, before entering the Gaza Strip.[1]
Perpetrators
[edit]The UNRWA stated that it was unable to identify the perpetrators due to the "total breakdown of civil order". According to an internal memo from the United Nations, the gangs in the Gaza Strip "may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence" or "protection" from the Israel Defense Forces. The UN also reported that a gang leader had established a "military-like compound" in an area that was "restricted, controlled, and patrolled by the IDF". An eyewitness reported seeing a gangster armed with an AK-47 just 100-meters from an Israeli Merkava tank.[2] The gangs have run cigarette-smuggling operations, and have been described as rivals of Hamas.[3]
United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, Muhannad Hadi, reported that Gaza is essentially lawless and that Israel is "the occupying power", and therefore the incident "is on them" for failing to ensure the area's protection and security.[3]
Contrary to Israeli claims that Hamas is stealing aid, a United States official stated that Hamas is not responsible for the attacks. An international aid official reported that there is no evidence of "physical interference from Hamas" anywhere in the north or south of Gaza.[3]
Aftermath
[edit]Following the incident, Hamas, in cooperation with tribal committees, expanded its operations targeting "gangs" accused of looting trucks bringing aid into Gaza, killing at least 20 armed gangsters, who all played a role in the aid convoy looting in Kerem Shalom border crossing.[5] Hamas stated that anyone caught engaging in a similar looting will be dealt with "an iron fist".[2]
Reactions
[edit]
UNRWA commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini confirmed the looting and stated that "we have been warning a long time ago about the total breakdown of civil order" in Gaza.[1] The UNRWA blamed the "collapse of law and order" caused by the "approach of the Israeli authorities" for the incident.[4]
United States State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller called the looting "abhorrent" and blamed it for the "overall breakdown" of security in Gaza, for which he said "the IDF certainly bears part of the blame for".[4]- The Palestinian National and Islamic Forces condemned the looting by "criminal thieves who disrupt the security of our internal front and steal the livelihoods, bread, and medicine of our citizens".[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Almost 100 Gaza aid lorries violently looted, UN agency Unrwa says". BBC News. 2024-11-18. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ a b c d Staff, Al Jazeera. "How was a UN aid convoy robbed near Israeli military positions?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g Parker, Claire (18 November 2024). "Gangs looting Gaza aid operate in areas under Israeli control, aid groups say". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c d Humayun, Pauline Lockwood, Hira (2024-11-19). "Nearly a hundred aid trucks looted in Gaza, as UN warns of 'collapse of law and order'". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Burke, Jason (2024-11-18). "Gaza ministry says 20 killed in anti-'gang' operation after looting of aid convoy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
