Israeli attack kills 4 Palestinians in aid convoy to Gaza hospital. Israel says men were armed – The Week

DUBAI, Aug. 30 (AP) – An Israeli military strike hit the first vehicle of a convoy carrying medical supplies and fuel to an Emirati hospital in the Gaza Strip, killing four Palestinians from a local transport company, officials said Friday.
The Israeli military insisted that the four men were carrying weapons, while the American refugee group Near East Refugee Aid said Thursday's rocket attack came without warning or prior communication with soldiers.
The incident underscores the chaotic situation in the Gaza Strip and the danger faced by aid organizations since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas following Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7.
More than 80 percent of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territory have been displaced. Most now live in squalid tent camps. International experts say hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine.
The attack occurred as the aid group was delivering supplies to Emirates Red Crescent Hospital in the city of Rafah, said Sandra Rasheed, Anera's director for the Palestinian territories. The attack hit the first vehicle of the convoy on Salah al-Din Road, she said.
“The convoy, coordinated by Anera and approved by the Israeli authorities, included an Anera employee who fortunately remained unharmed,” Rasheed said in a statement. “Despite this devastating incident, to the best of our knowledge, the rest of the convoy's vehicles were able to continue and successfully deliver the relief supplies to the hospital. We urgently need more details on the incident.”
A later statement from Anera said four Palestinians were killed. The group said its “coordinated and approved transport plan included unarmed security forces in the convoy” with its local partner, a company called Move One.
“Shortly after departure from Kerem Shalom, initial reports indicate that four community members with experience from previous missions and involvement in community security contacted Move One and asked to take command of the lead vehicle because they feared the route was unsafe and there was a risk of looting,” Anera said.
“The four community members were neither vetted nor coordinated in advance, and Israeli authorities claim that the lead vehicle was loaded with numerous weapons. The Israeli airstrike was carried out without prior warning or communication.”
Anera did not elaborate. Other aid convoys in Gaza were besieged by armed gangs and people desperate for food.
In response to questions from the Associated Press, the Israeli military said it had “monitored the situation” and saw “armed individuals join one of the cars of an Anera convoy and begin to lead the convoy.”
“We emphasize that the presence of armed individuals was not coordinated and they were not part of the pre-coordinated convoy – as mentioned in Anera's statement on the incident,” the Israeli military said. “After ruling out possible damage to the trucks and clearly identifying weapons, an attack was carried out on the armed individuals.”
The Israeli military did not comment on why it had not contacted Anera before the attack.
The United Arab Emirates, which signed a diplomatic recognition agreement with Israel in 2020 and has been providing aid to Gaza since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, did not comment on the attack.
Israeli forces have opened fire on more aid convoys in the Gaza Strip. The World Food Programme announced on Wednesday that it was suspending all staff movements in Gaza until further notice after Israeli troops opened fire on one of its marked vehicles, hitting it with at least 10 bullets. The firing occurred despite multiple authorizations from Israeli authorities.
On July 23, UNICEF said two of its vehicles were hit by live ammunition while waiting at a designated stopping point. An Israeli attack in April hit three World Central Kitchen vehicles, killing seven people.
The Hamas attack on October 7 killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took 250 more hostage. The devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza has since killed over 40,000 Palestinians and raised fears of a regional war. (AP)

AMS