Israeli army reservists assault Gazan truck drivers working for aid organizations

September 5, 2024

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Tags: aid transfer orders refused, Herzl halevi, international aid agencies, Israeli army reservists., Palestinian truck drivers assaulted

The Palestinian drivers were screened by Israel's security services and had no ties to Hamas or other terrorist organizations. The IDF soldiers – who had personal objections to the flow of aid into the Strip – beat, cuffed and blindfolded them at the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom crossing. As of this report's publication, no one has been questioned

IDF troops near the Israel-Gaza border, August 2024

Yaniv Kubovich reports in Haaretz on 3 September 2024:

Last month, several Israeli army reservists crossed into the Gaza Strip and assaulted Palestinian truck drivers working for international aid agencies. These drivers had been vetted by Israel’s Shin Bet security service, which confirmed they were neither Hamas members nor suspected of terrorism.

Although the IDF has footage of the incident, no one involved has been prosecuted or summoned for questioning so far.

The incident happened after reservists from the Magen unit, stationed on the Israeli side of the Gaza border, were requested to help with aid transfers at the Kerem Shalom crossing. Some reservists, uncomfortable with the mission, chose to harm the truck drivers in protest.

Unauthorized and uncoordinated with nearby forces, reservists crossed the border fence and encountered truck drivers working for an aid organization. They assaulted the drivers, handcuffed their hands and legs, and covered their eyes with cloths.

The reservists then abandoned the drivers on the Gazan side of the crossing without notifying anyone. An Israeli border crossing manager, seeing the attack and the handcuffed drivers on security cameras, quickly went to the Gazan side to release them. After verifying their condition as adequate, he returned to the Israeli side of the crossing.

Despite reports from aid organizations and border crossing management to the IDF’s 162 Division and Gaza Division, and despite documentation of the incident, no investigation into the reservists’ actions was initially conducted.

The individuals involved initially denied the incident, but an internal investigation, prompted by senior officers, eventually confirmed its occurrence. Haaretz learned that the investigation found attempts to conceal the incident from higher-level officials.

This is not the first instance of IDF reservists seeking to avoid participating in operations related to humanitarian aid entering Gaza. IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi addressed this issue during a visit to the Kfir Brigade in Gaza about two weeks ago. According to an IDF officer, Halevi condemned the reservists for refusing orders related to aid transfer and emphasized that soldiers are expected to perform tasks they may not agree with.

The IDF spokesperson commented that “the incident is being investigated by the relevant authorities.”

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