IDF attacks gunmen who took control of humanitarian aid vehicle in Gaza

The IDF attacked gunmen who took control of a vehicle in a humanitarian convoy in the southern Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, the military said on Thursday night. 

The convoy, belonging to the ANERA organization, entered the area earlier on Thursday in coordination with the IDF. 

The gunmen took control over the first vehicle in the convoy, with the military ascertaining that only the commandeered vehicle could be struck before carrying out the attack. 

Aid staff unharmed 

The IDF added that the strike eliminated the threat posed by the gunmen, and the convoy reached its destination as planned.  

No other vehicle in the convoy was harmed, the military noted, further stating that ANERA confirmed to the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) that the aid staff had not been harmed.

Earlier, the Army Radio reported that a convoy transporting medication and fuel to the Emirati hospital in Khan Yunis in Gaza had been attacked. 

שיירה שהובילה תרופות ודלק לבית החולים האמירותי בח'אן יונס הותקפה הערב - 4 פלסטינים נהרגו; מקורות לגלצ: נסיעת השיירה תואמה מראש עם צה"ל@JackyHugi

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) August 29, 2024

Humanitarian aid to Gaza

According to the IDF, in joint cooperation with COGAT, over 27,000 trucks transferring humanitarian aid have entered Gaza since October 21, 2023, transporting food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment. 

Other routes through which aid trucks pass include the Erez Crossing and the Kerem Shalom Crossing. Most recently, COGAT announced that over a million polio vaccines had been transferred into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom Crossing in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).