The WFP team was returning from a mission to Kerem Shalom/ Karam Abu Salem with two WFP armoured vehicles after escorting a convoy of trucks carrying humanitarian cargo routed to Gaza’s central area.
Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach, the vehicle was directly struck by gunfire as it was moving towards an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) checkpoint. It sustained at least ten bullets: five on the driver’s side, two on the passenger side and three on other parts of the vehicle. None of the employees onboard were physically harmed.
Though this is not the first security incident to occur during the war it is the first time that a WFP vehicle has been directly shot at near a checkpoint, despite securing the necessary clearances, as per standard protocol.
[…]
Humanitarians are increasingly coming under fire and face a multitude of challenges to deliver life-saving aid in Gaza. Frequent and ongoing evacuation orders continue to uproot both families and food relief operations intended to support them.
Despite being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach
should read as
Due to being clearly marked and receiving multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach
Israel is intentionally targeting aid workers in order to deter aid groups from actually slowing the intentional famine and disease spread in Gaza.
If this was the case, why did they fire two officers who were responsible for the air strikes that killed seven aid workers in a convoy a while ago - and why did they agree to a ceasefire so that polio vaccinations could be performed in Gaza? Neither of this meshes with your narrative.
Because they have to keep up appearances? Because they can’t pretend they aren’t manufacturing a genocide if they publicly deny children polio vaccines? If they didn’t want this to keep happening, they’d have put holds on strikes on vehicles, or they’d be opening up aid routes, or they’d not have bombed all the hospitals and water infrastructure that was keeping polio from catching hold in the first place.
Their actions only mesh with my “narrative”. If your narrative is that Israel isn’t trying to genocide Palestinians, you’re gonna need to show some evidence that they are actually changing their behavior, because their current behavior is driving a genocide. And sacrificially firing a couple of people when their actions are a little too blatant ain’t it.
What you’re saying makes no sense. You’re rejecting evidence that contradict your conspiracy theory and instead make up a totally unsubstantiated “it’s just for appearances” fantasy.
Just to name one example as to why what you’re saying is absurd: Roof-knocking, which they are still doing, costs just as much as an actual air strike and is militarily disadvantageous, since it allows militants to get away with the civilians warnings like these protect. Israel is willing to increase the cost of air strikes and reduce their effectiveness at the same time, just to save lives. Based on how many self-proclaimed pro-Palestinians I’ve talked to, most are not even aware of what roof-knocking is, so clearly, if this was a PR campaign, it’s been a complete failure.
I am well aware of roof-knocking, and how it is used as cover to “humanely” destroy housing infrastructure (70%+ of homes damaged or destroyed at this time, and counting), driving people out of their homes. Also note that it often isn’t done, certainly now with tent camps.
And yes, firing a couple of people for a single instance of killing aid workers that got particular international backlash, and not doing anything in all the other cases (in case you aren’t aware, Israel has killed more aid workers in the last 12 months (~250+) than were killed globally, in any other other year we have aid worker casualty records for), is absolutely evidence that this “punishment” was the exception, not the rule.
But don’t take my word for it, take Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan’s (who is American), who’s worked in conflict zones all around the globe with Doctors Without Borders (see NYT link above):
In Gaza, she said, the deconfliction process was “a farce” and aid workers have been struck when there were no military targets nearby.
“Nothing compares to what I experienced in Gaza, the drone and the actual bombing was constant, so you always felt like there was a possibility that you or the building you were in could be hit at any moment,” Dr. Haj-Hassan said.
She added: “We don’t have any safety guarantees.”
They fired 2 people over 7 aid worker deaths that got international attention. What did they do about the other couple hundred aid worker deaths they caused?
The percentage of aid workers killed corresponds roughly to the death toll among the total population of Gaza. The reason why in absolute numbers so many aid workers have been killed is that there is no other place in the world where there are so many aid workers relative to the general population, in part due to the fact that Palestinians are the only people in the world that have their own refugee agency, which runs many services that would usually be run by the local government, like school and healthcare.
The percentage of aid workers killed corresponds roughly to the death toll among the total population of Gaza.
So in other words, despite all the wars and conflicts and genocides going on in the world now and in the recent past, Israel has managed to kill more of the total population of Gaza than other wars and genocides and conflicts have their involved populations, to such an extent that without (according to you) them intentionally trying to kill aid workers, they’ve managed to kill so many civilians as to outnumber all conflicts’ aid worker death tolls combined. That is not the solid defense you think it is.
No. There are far, far more aid workers in Gaza than anywhere else relative to the size of the population. I thought I was pretty clear on that this is the reason. Aid agencies are by far the biggest employers for Palestinians. Now add in just how many aid workers in Gaza in particular moonlight at the Al-Aqsa brigades and you see why when Israel kills a few fighters, it’s not unlikely that they get someone who has a day job as an aid worker. It’s just like with “journalists” who are not just on Hamas payroll, but even imprison hostages in their household.
They got rid of 2 officers out of how many that have killed innocents, aid workers, journalists, etc?
And only because the ones killed were high enough profile that congress was close to actually doing something to stop the genocide? This is your argument on why Israel isn’t bad here? And weber the ones with a narrative, get out of here with the hasbara
hmmm i wonder where they got those bullets from?
Relevant: https://www.jns.org/israel-begins-shift-to-domestic-ammunition-production/
Small arms and their ammunition were mostly domestically produced already long before this war, dating back as far as the 1930s, before the nation was even founded. I haven’t been able to find any numbers, but I’m pretty certain that domestic arms manufacturer Elbit is responsible for the bulk of the IDF’s small caliber ammunition supply:
https://elbitsystems.com/pdf-category/company-brochures/land-systems/ammunition/
I know you were implying that it’s America who sent these over, likely in an effort to blame America, but in reality, in regards to ammunition, it’s mostly artillery shells, bombs and interceptor missiles that are delivered from the US. Israel can and does produce all of these things, but chose not to do so to the full extend of their capabilities in the past out of both convenience and because Uncle Sam insisted. Like the above article says, the issues Ukraine is facing with fickle allies makes Israel, just like Ukraine, look inward and, just like in the past (see the development of their own tanks, fighter jets, missile shield, drones, robots, etc. - many of which started when partners suddenly stopped being reliable) intensify efforts to produce weapons domestically. Some of Israel’s current dependency on the US in particular actually happened against at least partially their will: The F-16, the workhorse of the IAF, was practically forced onto Israel by America (because the American defense industry feared Israeli competition), resulting in the shuttering of an advanced domestic fighter aircraft program of their own that was meant to replace the ageing domestic Kfir. High costs were another factor, but who knows what would have happened if the Reagan administration hadn’t flexed their muscles.
thank you for the added context! I always appreciate learning new facts about this complicated issue.
Thanks for the kind words.
It’s kind of sad though that an appreciative reply is the last thing I ever expected to receive here.
I think Beehaw’s a pretty kind place in my experience?
It is, but DdCno1’s been taking a pro-Israel stance into a very, very pro-Palestine site. I really don’t know what else they’d expect besides pushback, honestly.
Pushback is not the same thing as an attack! I think we tend to get the two mixed up when talking to strangers online.
More war crimes no one will hold them accountable for
Nobody held Nazi Germany to account until they did. I won’t lie and say a Nuremburg Trials pt 2 is extremely likely, but it is a possible outcome with how many peaceful international groups have been intentionally targeted.
This is what a genocide looks like folks… imagine living through while you are getting daily updates of savage atrocities committed by Waffen-IDF and your limp dick governments is using your tax money and political clout to enable it.
But hey vote for my guy, trust me bro, he will fix this once in office… trust the process, peasant!
Well, if you are genociding and someone wants to help the same people you are putting so much effort into exterminating … it’s probably a real morale blow.
Why doesn’t anyone consider the poor IDFs feelings?? Haven’t they suffered enough
free prime land for development gain!/s
