Members of the Israeli forces are collaborating with settlers and far-right groups to block and vandalize vans carrying essential goods to the Gaza Strip.
According to sources heard by The Guardian, the soldiers inform the settlers of the location of the vans and trucks, allowing them to block their passage and aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the region.
The main Israeli group behind these blockades, Tzav 9, confirmed that it has been obstructing the passage of the trucks since January, claiming that the aid is being "hijacked" by Hamas.
Lorenzo Tondo
"When the mission of a policeman or soldier is to protect Israelis and instead they are being sent to protect humanitarian aid knowing that it will end up in the hands of Hamas, we can't blame them or the civilians who notice the trucks passing through their villages and give information to groups trying to block that aid. Yes, some of our information comes from members of the Israeli forces," admits Rachel Touitou, spokesperson for Tzav 9.
Already, several videos and photographs have shown incidents of settlers vandalizing aid transports, including an incident at the Tarqumiya checkpoint, where goods were thrown to the ground and trucks were set on fire. This incident generated widespread condemnation, including from the White House.
Palestinian truck drivers described these attacks as "barbaric", highlighting the inaction of Israeli soldiers who were present but did not intervene.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also confirmed that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against two soldiers from the Home Front Command who refused orders to remove demonstrators blocking aid trucks.
This alleged collaboration between the army and settlers has been a long-standing issue, as evidenced by past incidents such as the conviction of IDF Corporal Elad Sela in 2016 for passing classified information to extremists.
