'Israeli' settlers block aid convoys to Gaza amid existing government restrictions
The protest comes as Gaza endures a worsening famine, now in its 87th consecutive day under a complete 'Israeli' blockade. International pressure has recently forced Tel Aviv to permit limited deliveries of humanitarian aid—quantities that major organizations have described as a 'drop in the ocean' compared to the dire needs on the ground.
According to Haaretz, around 20 far-right activists from the 'Israeli' group 'Order 9' gathered at Ashdod port on Tuesday, chanting slogans at Gazans such as: 'You won't get a crumb of bread until the hostages are returned,' referring to Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Police reportedly intervened to disperse the protesters. Haaretz also noted that members of Order 9 have previously obstructed aid convoys, assaulted truck drivers, and damaged shipments.
Aid entering Gaza through Ashdod is typically transferred to one of three 'Israeli' crossings—Kerem Shalom in the south, and Zikim and Erez in the north—where it is often held for extended periods. Since May 22, 'Israel' has released only a minimal number of trucks—just a fraction of the 500 trucks of aid and 50 fuel trucks needed daily to address the humanitarian crisis, according to Gaza's government media office.
While international organizations warn that aid deliveries remain severely inadequate, Gaza authorities have accused Israel of 'engineering starvation' as a means to force population displacement and deflect global criticism.
Who is 'Order 9'?
Order 9 was founded in January 2024 by settlers Reut and Yosef Ben Haim from the settlement of Netivot in the Negev, under the slogan: 'No aid until the last hostage returns.' The group's name references an 'Israeli' military mobilization code ('Tzav 9') for emergency reserve call-ups.
Their first action took place on January 10, 2024, when they protested at the Kerem Shalom crossing and called for a halt to all humanitarian aid to Gaza. In an interview with Maariv on March 10, Reut Ben Haim explained the origins of the movement: 'When we saw the aid trucks along the border, we stopped and blocked them. That's when my husband and I realized we needed to mobilize others.'
Since the war began, Order 9 members have repeatedly blocked aid convoys, sometimes physically attacking drivers and destroying cargo, according to 'Israeli' reports. In 2024, both the European Union and the Biden administration imposed sanctions on the group.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Roya News
2 hours ago
- Roya News
We lost contact with unit guarding 'Israeli' captive Rom Braslavski: Quds Brigades
The military spokesperson for Quds Brigades, Abu Hamza, announced on Tuesday that contact was lost yesterday with the security unit responsible for guarding the 'Israeli' soldier Rom Braslavski, who has been held captive in Gaza. According to the statement, the unit went out of communication following an 'Israeli' incursion and the encirclement of areas where the captive and the unit were believed to be present. "We do not know their fate at this time," Abu Hamza said. He further accused 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his "extremist right-wing government" of deliberately ignoring the issue of Israeli captives since the beginning of what he described as a "genocidal war" against the Palestinian people. "The enemy's leadership is making every effort to kill its own captives and return them to their families in coffins," the spokesperson stated.
Roya News
4 hours ago
- Roya News
Top Catholic cleric says Gaza humanitarian situation 'morally unacceptable'
The Roman Catholic church's most senior cleric in the Holy Land said Tuesday the humanitarian situation in Gaza was "morally unacceptable", after visiting the war-battered Palestinian territory. "We have seen men holding out in the sun for hours in the hope of a simple meal," Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa told a news conference in Jerusalem. "It's morally unacceptable and unjustified," he added. Pizzaballa said the Church and "the entire Christian community, will never abandon" Gazans, repeating what he had told Christians in Gaza during his visit. He specified that his mission applied not only to a specific group but to all. Pizzaballa and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, made a rare visit to Gaza on Friday after 'Israeli' fire hit the Holy Family Church, Gaza's only Catholic church, killing three people. "Three people died of our community, but thousands of people already died in Gaza," Pizzaballa said, adding that the entire Palestinian people was affected in Gaza by the ongoing war, as well as in the West Bank which he recently visited to denounce Israeli settler violence. Though the Italian foreign ministry announced Pizzaballa had entered Gaza with 500 tonnes of aid, Pizzaballa said the aid had not yet entered Gaza due to logistical issues. Pizzaballa and Theophilos III reported meeting people in Gaza whose faces were emaciated from hunger, at a time when finding food in the Palestinian territory has become nearly impossible. Pizzaballa, who has previously advocated for an end to the war in Gaza, said that he had witnessed unprecedented levels of destruction in comparison to his last visit in December.
Roya News
4 hours ago
- Roya News
US announces leaving UN cultural body UNESCO
The United States on Tuesday announced it has left UNESCO, saying the UN cultural and education agency, best known for establishing world heritage sites, is biased against 'Israel' and promotes "divisive" causes. "Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States," the State Department spokeswoman said. The US exit was expected under President Donald Trump, who also ordered withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2017 during his first term. President Joe Biden then reestablished US membership. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce described UNESCO as working "to advance divisive social and cultural causes" and being overly focused on UN sustainability goals, which she described as a "globalist, ideological agenda." Bruce also highlighted what she said was the body's anti-'Israeli' position in admitting Palestine as a state. "UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a member state is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-'Israel' rhetoric within the organization," Bruce said. The UN organization describes its mission as promoting education, scientific cooperation and cultural understanding. It oversees a list of heritage sites aimed at preserving unique environmental and architectural gems, ranging from the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Athens Acropolis and Pyramids of Egypt. Trump was not the first to pull the United States out of UNESCO. President Ronald Reagan ended US membership in the 1980s, saying the agency was corrupt and pro-Soviet. The United States reentered under the presidency of George W. Bush.
