Israeli strike hits aid convoy organized by US-based group in Gaza, killing 4 Palestinians

An Israeli airstrike on Thursday struck an aid convoy in Gaza organized by a US humanitarian group, killing four Palestinians in the lead vehicle of the convoy, according to the Washington-based non-profit American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera).

The convoy was delivering food and fuel to the Emirati Red Crescent Hospital in Gaza, Anera said in a statement on Friday, adding that the transport plan, cleared and coordinated, included unarmed security guards as per Anera's agreement with their transit company, Move One.

Israel claimed, without providing immediate evidence, that it fired after gunmen took control of the convoy.

Anera's statement indicated that initial reports suggest four community members with prior mission experience and security roles with Move One volunteered to lead the convoy's first vehicle, concerned that the route was unsafe and at risk of looting.

"The four community members were neither vetted nor coordinated in advance, and Israeli authorities allege that the lead car was carrying numerous weapons. The Israeli airstrike was carried out without any prior warning or communication," Anera said in the statement.

No Anera staff were harmed, it said, adding that the remainder of the convoy continued its mission and successfully delivered the aid to the hospital.

"According to all the information we have, this is a case of partners on the ground endeavoring to deliver aid successfully," Anera President and CEO Sean Carroll said. "This should not come at the cost of people's lives."

The attack on the Anera convoy followed another assault on a World Food Program (WFP) vehicle in Gaza on Wednesday, leading the UN agency to temporarily halt staff movements in the region.

An Anera employee, Mousa Shawwa, a logistics coordinator in Gaza, was killed on March 8 by an Israeli airstrike while he was in a designated safe shelter.

Earlier, on April 1, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers, including three British nationals, an Australian, a Polish national, a US-Canadian dual citizen, and a Palestinian.

After the attack on WCK aid workers, US President Joe Biden released a statement saying that he was "outraged and heartbroken", and accused Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers. During a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 4, Biden warned of policy changes if Israel doesn't take steps to better protect civilians and aid workers in Gaza.

According to the UN, more than 280 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, most of them staff members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).