An Israeli strike on a humanitarian vehicle in Gaza has left four people dead amid confusion over the convoy’s travel plans through the war-torn Palestinian enclave, according to aid organization American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera).
The victims were all local Palestinians involved with a transportation company contracted by Anera, according to the organization. They had decided to ride in the lead vehicle for the convoy’s security but had not been cleared by Israeli authorities, it also said.
Shortly after the convoy left the Kerem Shalom border crossing on Thursday, “four community members with experience in previous missions and engagement in community security” with the Move One transport company took control of the lead vehicle, “citing concern that the route was unsafe and at risk of being looted,” Anera said.
The humanitarian convoy’s mission and route had been coordinated with Israeli authorities, however, the Israel Defense Forces said it attacked the lead car because the men inside appeared to be armed – a breach of the agreed plan.
“After further confirmation that only the vehicle of the armed men could be attacked, an attack was carried out on them,” the IDF said in a statement Thursday.
On Friday, Israeli forces emphasized that the presence of “armed individuals” leading the convoy had not been coordinated with them.
Anera has said that the convoy’s transport plan called for unarmed security guards, and that the people who were killed had not been approved in advance. Humanitarian workers typically coordinate their routes with Israeli forces in order to move with relative safety.
“The four community members were neither vetted nor coordinated in advance, and Israeli authorities allege that the lead car was carrying numerous weapons,” Anera said.
The airstrike, which Anera said was carried out without any prior warning, did not injure any of its staff. One employee, who was in the second vehicle of the aid convoy, “witnessed the incident at close range,” it said.
“Despite this devastating incident, our understanding is that the remaining vehicles in the convoy were able to continue and successfully deliver the aid to the hospital. We are urgently seeking further details about what happened,” Anera’s Palestine country director, Sandra Rasheed, told CNN.
The mission was carrying carry food and fuel to the Emirati Red Crescent Hospital in the south of Gaza. Anera has coordinated 24 prior shipments for the hospital with the United Arab Emirates since May.
The strike comes just days after a World Food Programme convoy was attacked close to an Israeli checkpoint, sustaining “at least ten bullets,” according to the UN agency. The incident prompted the United Nations to lodge a formal complaint with Israel, and the IDF is currently reviewing the incident.
In April, aid workers from another hunger relief group, the World Central Kitchen, were killed in an Israeli attack while traveling through Gaza by car, despite coordinating with Israeli authorities on their route and itinerary. The airstrikes hit three cars in their convoy, killing three Britons, a Palestinian, a US-Canadian dual citizen, an Australian, and a Pole.
Pressure is mounting on Hamas, which governs Gaza, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seal a ceasefire and hostage release deal against the backdrop of severe starvation, dire water shortages, mass displacement and disease in the enclave.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed over 40,000 Palestinians and injured over 93,500 people, according to the Ministry of Health there. The Israeli military launched its aerial and ground assault in the isolated enclave after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and abducting more than 250, according to Israeli authorities.
CNN’s Dana Karni and Irene Nasser contributed to this report
