War on Gaza: Israeli activists set up tents to block humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza
Israeli protesters have once again stopped aid trucks from entering the besieged Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians face an acute risk of famine, according to the UN.
In recent weeks, Israelis from across the political spectrum have been gathering at the Karem Abu Salem - or Kerem Shalom - crossing to stop the delivery of humanitarian aid.
On Wednesday, dozens of activists, many of them young, blocked aid trucks by lying on the streets. Some set up tents in the area so that they can stop aid moving in the long term.
The Karem Abu Salem crossing, which is located on the border with Egypt, is used by Israeli forces to inspect aid trucks before they enter the besieged Palestinian territory.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked about 130 humanitarian aid trucks from entering Gaza.
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On X, formerly known as Twitter, one activist wrote that those at the crossing included: “Citizens from all over the country, from north and south, from the city and the countryside, religious and secular - from all ends of the political spectrum."
Despite the severe restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinians in Gaza, including the cutting off of water, food and electricity supplies, many protesters heading to the crossing believe the Israeli government has been too generous.
The Im Tirtzu movement, a far right Jewish nationalist organisation, stated: "Overnight: the activists of the Mothers' March, Torat Lechima, and Im Tirtzu, together with hundreds of citizens, set up a tent camp at the Kerem Shalom border crossing in order to stop the transfer of supplies to Hamas."
The Mothers' March, Torat Lechima and Im Tirtzu put out a joint statement saying: "While our sons are sacrificing their lives to defeat Hamas, we can not allow ourselves to accept this twisted reality in which our government supply the enemy with power and food, allowing the enemy to continue the war for a long time. Tonight's activity is the escalation of the protests we started two months ago, and we will not rest until the Nazi Hamas trucks stop.''
In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered an interim ruling calling on Israel to stop impeding the delivery of aid into Gaza and to improve the humanitarian situation there.
It also ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent acts of genocide in the besieged enclave and to punish incitement to genocide.
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