Head of US aid group targeted in lethal strike said Israeli military gave no ‘warning’
Sean Carroll, president and CEO of the aid organisation American Near East Refugee Aid, or Anera, told Al Jazeera that Israeli authorities had no communication and gave no warning before attacking his organisation’s aid convoy, killing four people in Gaza on Thursday.
“There was no communication from the Israeli authorities – from the military or from the administration for governance in the occupied territories,” Carroll told Al Jazeera from New York in the US.
“They did not, our understanding is, ask the convoy what was going on, nor did they provide any warning before they fired an air strike on one of the security cars in the convoy,” he said.
The lead security car in the aid convoy “was simply trying to ensure that the aid got to where it was needed. And this was to the Emirati field hospital”, Carroll said, lamenting the killing of the four Palestinians in the vehicle.
“It was medicines. It was fuel. To enable that hospital to continue serving patients and people in need of medical care. We’ve done this many, many times before. There has always been coordination and de-confliction, and in the past, there has been communication when there needed to be,” he said.
“In this case, there was no communication beforehand and suddenly our staff riding in that convoy witnessed – right in front of them – a lethal air strike”.
‘This isn’t normal’: Aid official speaks out after deadly Israeli attack on humanitarian convoy
More from Sean Carroll, president and CEO of the aid organisation American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera), who spoke to Al Jazeera earlier about the no-warning attack by Israeli forces on his organisation’s aid convoy that killed four security personnel in Gaza.
“This isn’t normal and the world needs to understand that this is not normal,” Carroll said of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“There are conflicts around the world. There are needs to provide humanitarian aid in the midst of conflicts, and in the vast majority of conflicts around the world, there is coordination, there is de-confliction to ensure that humanitarian aid workers and humanitarian aid work can proceed so that non-combatants receive the aid that they need,” Carroll said.
Not in Israel’s war on Gaza, however.
“In this case, it is just far too difficult, far too deadly and the number of attacks just this week puts in grave, grave jeopardy the ability to continue delivering aid,” he said.
“It is untenable.”
“This isn’t just about Palestinians. This is about humanity. This is about any shred of possibility of peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians,” he added.
Israel attacks relief convoys, doubles number of aid missions denied in August: UN
In tandem with Israeli attacks on humanitarian aid staff and relief convoys in Gaza, Israel’s denial of humanitarian missions in the war-torn Palestinian territory has almost doubled this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports.
In its latest Gaza situation report, OCHA also said that between Monday and Thursday this week, a further 167 Palestinians were reported killed and 321 injured in Israeli attacks.
In August, the number of aid missions and movements by humanitarian workers denied permission by Israeli authorities almost doubled compared with July, including 68 denials in the north of the territory, compared with 30 last month, and 99 denials for the south of the territory, compared with 53 last month, OCHA reports.
“Attacks on humanitarian personnel and missions are increasing the risk of limiting access and delivering life-saving aid,” OCHA also said.
📍#Gaza
In August, the number of aid missions denied access by Israeli authorities nearly doubled compared to July.
For the first time since the war began, the Israeli military announced that residents and displaced people could return to certain evacuated areas.
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— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) August 30, 2024
