‘Each truck is a risk’: deadly incident renews Israeli debate over Gaza aid

A deadly incident in northern Gaza in which several Palestinians were killed near an aid distribution point has renewed Israeli debate over the risks and consequences of ongoing humanitarian deliveries into the Hamas-controlled enclave.

Israeli experts and relatives of hostages told The Press Service of Israel that aid distribution efforts bypassing Hamas might be a step in the right direction, but they still remain critical of the broader policy and its implications.

Colonel (res.) Hezi Nechama, a founding member of the Forum of Reservists and Commanders, believes that while Israel’s recent efforts to regain control over humanitarian aid are a step in the right direction, they remain insufficient.

“Until now, the people of Gaza saw Hamas as the provider — the one handing out food. That gave them power,” he told TPS-IL. “Now, for the first time, that’s starting to change. It hasn’t fully changed, but it’s beginning. It’s important not to stop here.” If handing out food enabled Hamas’ grip on the population, “this is a first step in the right direction for Israel.”

He argued that a siege model is necessary not only to sever Hamas’s control over aid but to prevent the kind of violent incidents involving troops that have recently occurred. This would separate civilians from Hamas strongholds, further weakening the terror group’s grip on Gaza.

“There needs to be a complete siege on any area where Hamas chooses to remain,” he explained. “Otherwise, Hamas will continue to manipulate the situation.”

In a new model of aid distribution seeking to bypass Hamas, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says it has distributed seven million meals in its first week of operations. But Hamas accused Israel of shooting Palestinians at an aid distribution site, a charge Israel denies. Hamas claims of 31 deaths have not been independently verified. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced that its aid distribution points would be closed on Wednesday to implement logistical changes to deal with the growing crowds of Palestinians. Distribution is due to resume on Thursday.

Yael Savariego — whose uncle was murdered on October 7 and whose body is held in Gaza — is among those urging the government to condition humanitarian assistance on the return of Israeli hostages. She is a member of Tzav 9, a movement which opposes the transfer of humanitarian aid to Hamas-controlled areas .

She argues that allowing aid into Gaza without extracting concessions is a fundamentally flawed policy.

“We are going on Wednesday to Kerem Shalom crossing — just like we have throughout this war — to demand that aid be used as leverage. We want ‘humanitarian for humanitarian.’ Bring Hamas to the table. Make them release hostages in exchange for trucks,” she told The Press Service of Israel.

She pointed to earlier phases of the war when, in her view, such a strategy proved effective: “That’s what worked in the beginning. That’s what brought some of the hostages home.”

Savariego is skeptical that the new distribution model will ultimately weaken Hamas. “I get a lot of information from people on the ground, and it’s just not true,” she said. “Even the Americans had to pull back because of security concerns. Hamas police, even if unarmed, are there. Civilians know exactly who they are and what that means.”

She said she conveyed these concerns to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a recent meeting. “I said to him — both you and I know this isn’t working. Even you said aid is one of the reasons Hamas is still so strong,” Savariego recalled. “So we’re fighting a terror group while simultaneously empowering it. That’s a contradiction.”

While talking to TPS-IL, Savariego spotted several aid trucks on the road. “Four just passed me now,” she said. “And each one of them could be exposing our troops to risk. I don’t want to welcome any more families into the circle of grief. We’ve lost enough.”

Yoav Heller, chairman of the grassroots Fourth Quarter movement and a Holocaust historian specializing in genocide studies, directed his strongest criticism at the international community.

“There’s an enormous hypocrisy here,” he told TPS-IL. “The UN is sending in aid that Hamas seizes, sells on the black market, and uses to consolidate its grip — all while actually starving the civilian population. And then Israel gets blamed, even as it tries to set up secure humanitarian zones. Whatever Israel does for civilians, it’s always framed as ‘not good enough.’ Always. That’s the reality we’re facing.”

Said Heller, “First, they hollow out the meaning of genocide, making it harder to address real genocides like the one happening right now in Sudan. And second, they keep adding fuel to this war — at the direct expense of the people in Gaza.”

Since mid-November, Hamas and criminal gangs associated with the terror group have hijacked 85% of all the trucks entering the Strip carrying food, water, medicine and other humanitarian items. TPS-IL learned that Hamas granted distribution lines to these groups to ensure that humanitarian aid exclusively reaches Hamas. In return, these gangs receive money, food and vouchers. Hamas also pays these gangs $10,000 a month to maintain checkpoints.

At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 58 remaining hostages, 35 are believed to be dead.