US sanctions extremist Israeli Tsav 9 group for blocking Gaza aid
3 Min Read
The organization, which has gained support from Israelis, is being sanctioned after attacking aid convoys around occupied Palestine.
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Israeli extremists block the entrance to the United Nations agency, UNWRA, during a protest in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on March 20, 2024. (AP)
The United States Department of State has imposed sanctions on Tsav 9, "a violent, extremist Israeli group," for blocking humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza and attacking aid delivery trucks.
The group has worked on blocking the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem, also known as the Kerem Shalom border crossing, at the start of the year, and has also set trucks on fire and injured drivers.
"For months, individuals from Tzav 9 have repeatedly sought to thwart the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including by blockading roads, sometimes violently," US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller stated.
Miller said that Tsav 9 "also damaged aid trucks and dumped life-saving humanitarian aid onto the road."
More specifically Miller pointed to an attack conducted by the extremist group in mid-May, where members looted and set fire to two trucks near occupied al-Khalil, in the occupied West Bank.
On the other hand, Tsav 9 said that the sanctions were "shocking" and "go against any American and liberal values."
Tsav 9, which translates to Order 9, references the Israeli occupation's "Defense Service Law," specifically a section related to the call-up of Israeli reservists for military service. The group believes that it is obligated to cut off aid supplies to the Gaza Strip, as such actions would facilitate the Israeli aggression on the besieged territory.
The group has staged multiple attacks on aid convoys, which it believes will cut supplies off from the Palestinian Resistance and help both Israeli troops and captives.
Anecdotally, the meager delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip has made the living situation of Israeli captives substantially worse, as multiple individuals have died as a result of the lack of medical supplies, food, water, and other essential supplies.
Despite the US sanctions, the group has received support from Israelis for blocking humanitarian supplies. Moreover, it is believed that the group and other extremists have been tipped off on the location of aid delivery trucks by Israeli occupation troops.
According to The Guardian, the Israeli occupation forces are extremist settlers with intelligence on the whereabouts of aid trucks headed to the Gaza Strip in order to vandalize and stop the vehicles.
Texts received by The Guardian from online chat rooms show members of "Israel's" security personnel working together with other extremists to restrict humanitarian supplies to Gazans. Attacks by Israelis against humanitarian workers and aid trucks have not been limited to fanatic Israeli settlers, as the occupation's military has conducted several attacks on aid delivery points within the Gaza Strip and humanitarian workers. Most notably, a horrifying and surgical attack by Israeli occupation forces was conducted against workers from the World Central Kitchen on April 1.
Read more: 'Israel' kills Palestinians waiting for aid in another Flour Massacre
