In Nuseirat, a truck carrying aid supplies overturned, according to Haaretz. The truck crashed into a crowd, killing at least twenty people. Dozens were injured, according to Palestinian emergency services.
The crowd had gathered around the truck southwest of Gaza City around midnight. The truck was loaded with sugar and other supplies and overturned near the Kissufim crossing, east of the city of Deir al-Balah.
Hamas accuses Israel of forcing trucks with aid supplies to drive to distribution centers via unsafe routes, reports Al Jazeera. For example, they would have to drive over roads damaged by bombings. This would more often lead to accidents.
Aid convoys have often faced incidents. For example, some thirty trucks with aid supplies from Jordan were reportedly attacked and blocked. The Jordanian government accuses Jewish settlers of delaying the aid, writes Reuters. According to Jordan, Israel is violating agreements on aid convoys and is not doing enough to prevent such attacks. According to Haaretz, this is the second incident in a few days.
Dutch plane departed for food drops
Meanwhile, more aid is starting to flow to the Palestinians, including from the Netherlands. On Wednesday around 9:00 a.m., a military transport plane departed from Eindhoven Airport. That plane will drop aid supplies over the Gaza Strip for two weeks starting Friday, the Ministry of Defense wrote.
The aircraft, a C-130, is used to drop sixteen pallets with 1,000 kilos of food each day. The contents of the food packages are supplied by a Jordanian aid organization. They include flour, rice and baby food. The packages also contain some medical supplies.
In addition to the Netherlands, other countries are also carrying out food drops over Gaza, including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Spain, France and Germany.
There is also criticism of the drops, because it is dangerous to drop the packages down, as people can get injured. Moreover, with airdrops it is difficult to distribute aid to those who need it most, aid organizations say. In addition, the quantity is relatively small. A truck can easily carry 20 tons of aid supplies.
Another evacuation order from Gaza City
The population of part of Gaza City must leave. The Israeli army (IDF) has issued an evacuation order for the southern Zeitoun neighborhood. “Remaining residents must leave immediately,” the call reads. The army says it is expanding its operations to the west.
Zeitoun is a part of the Gaza Strip that has not yet been occupied by the IDF. The army now controls more than 80 percent of Gaza. The area where the Palestinians can still go is therefore getting smaller and smaller. It is not clear where the residents should go, because most parts of Gaza have been designated as military zones.
Security Cabinet meets on plan to fully occupy Gaza
The army’s order comes shortly before a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Security Cabinet to discuss expanding military operations. The Prime Minister has said he wants to occupy the entire Gaza Strip. Some high-ranking military officials and ministers have doubts about that plan. The operation could take a very long time and hostages could be in danger.
The talks will continue on Thursday and a final decision is expected. According to Channel 12, Netanyahu is determined to take Gaza. The occupation should take precedence over freeing hostages as far as the Prime Minister is concerned, writes The Times of Israel.