US sanctions Israeli group over attacks on Gaza aid

 

Watch: Israeli protesters stomp on aid packages destined for Gaza

The US has imposed sanctions on an Israeli group accused of attacking humanitarian aid convoys heading to Gaza. The State Department announced that the US assets of Tzav 9, an organization linked to Israeli reservists and West Bank settlers, will be frozen, and Americans are barred from dealing with it.

For several months, Israeli activists have been obstructing aid convoys destined for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. On May 13, protesters were filmed attacking two trucks in the occupied West Bank, ripping open bags of grain and setting the vehicles on fire. The White House condemned the "looting" of aid convoys as "a total outrage." Tzav 9 stated that some protesters' actions were "not in line with the values of our movement" but maintained that "blocking the trucks is an effective and practical step in which we shout that 'no aid passes until the last of the hostages returns.'"

The State Department indicated that US sanctions were imposed under an executive order on West Bank violence signed by President Joe Biden in February. "For months, individuals from Tzav 9 have repeatedly sought to thwart the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including by blocking roads, sometimes violently, along their route from Jordan to Gaza, including transiting the West Bank," the State Department said.

The US has previously sanctioned Jewish settlers involved in attacks on Palestinians as well as Palestinian militant groups. The Israel Defense Forces have also been accused of withholding aid, a charge they deny. The UN has warned that over a million people in Gaza could face starvation by mid-July unless more aid is allowed into the strip.

According to the Hamas-run health ministry, more than 37,000 people have been killed, and many hundreds of thousands more injured or displaced in Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza. The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages.

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