update deskIsrael at War

Protesters block Gaza aid trucks at Kerem Shalom crossing

Activists accused Israel of "national suicide" for continuing humanitarian shipments while hostages remain in the hands of Hamas.

Israelis block the entrance to Ashdod Port during a protest against aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip, Feb. 1, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
Israelis block the entrance to Ashdod Port during a protest against aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip, Feb. 1, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Israeli protesters from the grassroots movements “Tzav 9” and “Reservists-Generation of Victory” blocked the road to the Kerem Shalom crossing on Wednesday, in an effort to halt humanitarian-aid shipments into the Gaza Strip.

The demonstrators, some of whom lost family members in the Hamas massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, criticized the resumption of deliveries as a move that bolsters the terrorist organization. Israeli media reported that among the participants was Noga Alfasi, whose aunt, kindergarten teacher Maya Goren, was abducted and murdered by Hamas terrorists. Goren’s body was recovered in a military operation in July 2024.

“I come here so that [Kibbutz] Nir Oz can be a safe place,” said Alfasi. “It’s possible to defeat Hamas for fewer soldiers to die.”

Tzav 9 chair Reut Ben Haim called the aid policy “an unbearable injustice,” Channel 14 reported. “Israel is sending aid to Hamas on a silver platter.”

“This is not humanitarianism; it is national suicide,” said Ashriel Machlev, a reservist and protest leader. “Every truck that enters Gaza prolongs the war. Until the hostages are home, there will be no aid. We will be here every week to physically stop this insane policy.”

On Monday, 93 U.N. aid trucks entered Gaza through Kerem Shalom with Israeli approval, sparking renewed criticism from bereaved families and right-wing lawmakers.

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