US sanctions Israeli group for blocking aid to Gaza

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on extremist Israeli group Tzav 9, accusing it of blocking convoys and looting and burning trucks trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

Since the war erupted, essential aid deliveries to Gaza have been severely restricted by the Israeli government, leaving many people short of food and water, and several thousand children suffering acute malnutrition.

Tzav 9 is a right-wing activist group seeking to halt any aid arriving in Gaza while Israeli hostages are held in the Palestinian territory.

"Individuals from Tzav 9 have repeatedly sought to thwart the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, including by blockading roads, sometimes violently," the US State Department said.

"They also have damaged aid trucks and dumped life-saving humanitarian aid onto the road."

The State Department statement said that on 13 May, Tzav 9 members looted and set fire to two trucks in the West Bank carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.

"The provision of humanitarian assistance is vital to preventing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza from worsening and to mitigating the risk of famine," it said.

"We will not tolerate acts of sabotage and violence targeting this essential humanitarian assistance."

The war began after Hamas's 7 October attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The militants also seized 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead.

Israel's retaliatory military offensive has left at least 37,232 people dead in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.