Liam Conner
Washington – The State Department sanctioned an Israeli extremist group that it said was increasing attacks destined to hindering delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, announced Friday.
The US accused members of the group, called Tsav 9, of blocking, harassing and damaging convoys carrying aid to Palestinians in Gaza for several months. The group blocked roads along the route between Jordan and Gaza, damaged humanitarian aid trucks and dumped food on the ground, according to the State Department.
Tsav 9 members were also accused of looting and setting fire to two trucks carrying humanitarian aid near the West Bank city of Hebron last month.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan condemned these attacks, calling them a “total outrage.” He then said the Biden administration was examining ways to respond and had raised concerns with the Israeli government.
“It’s something we’ve made no bones about,” Sullivan told reporters last month. “We find this completely and utterly unacceptable.”
Ibrahim Hamad/Anadolu via Getty Images
In announcing the sanctions, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stressed the importance of bringing humanitarian assistance to Gaza to prevent the crisis from worsening and to mitigate the risk of famine.
He said the Israeli government has a responsibility to ensure that humanitarian convoys heading to Gaza can move through Israel and the West Bank safely.
“We will not tolerate acts of sabotage and violence against this essential humanitarian assistance,” Miller said. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to promote accountability for those who attempt or commit such heinous acts, and we hope and urge that Israeli authorities do the same.”
The Times of Israel newspaper described Tsav 9 as a “right-wing organization” that opposes providing aid to Gaza, while Hamas continues to hold hostages taken during the attacks in Israel on October 7. The group posted images and videos of its blockades on social media and vowed to block assistance from reaching war-torn Gaza until all hostages were freed.
Humanitarian groups have warned that assistance reaching Palestinians in Gaza is insufficient and have blamed the Israeli government for making it difficult for legitimate goods to reach Hamas-controlled territory.
The head of the World Health Organization said this week that “a significant proportion of Gaza’s population now faces catastrophic hunger and famine conditions.” Two United Nations agencies warned in a statement report this month that more than 1 million people in Gaza – almost half its population – are expected to face death and starvation by mid-July.
“In the absence of a cessation of hostilities and greater access, the impact on mortality and lives of Palestinians now, and in future generations, will increase markedly by the day, even if famine is avoided in the short term,” the report says . of the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Margaret Brennan and Camilla Schick contributed reporting.
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