IDF accused of ‘field execution’ of Palestinian driver bringing aid into Gaza | Gaza

According to eyewitnesses and the local truckers’ association, a Palestinian driver bringing food aid from World Central Kitchen (WCK) to Gaza was killed by an Israeli soldier. The association said it may suspend operations in protest.

According to three sources, Ahmed Esleem was shot in the head on Wednesday when an aid convoy stopped due to a truck breaking down just after entering Gaza. Israeli soldiers ordered the drivers to get out, and one of them shot Esleem in the head when he raised his hands.

Diaa Mansour, another driver in the four-truck convoy, said the attack took place in the Philadelphi corridor, a military road at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip.

“After the truck broke down, we waited for permission to go out and inspect it because every move we make has to be coordinated in advance,” he said. “While we were waiting, an Israeli military vehicle arrived. The soldiers ordered Ahmed and I to get out of our trucks, and then they ordered another driver, Alaa Shaat, to get out as well. The front driver of the convoy, Fares Muheisen, remained in his truck and did not get out.

“They made us wait on the roadside. They asked me to take off my clothes and forced me to sit under the sun,” Mansur said. “Then they pulled Ahmed out of his truck. One of the soldiers, Ahmed, wasn’t speaking Hebrew and the soldiers didn’t seem to understand his Arabic. They suddenly shot him. He was shot in the head and died at the scene. They were apparently trying to understand why we were stopping, but they didn’t understand the situation and immediately opened fire without any attempt to argue or communicate.”

Jihad Esleem, vice president of the Association of Transport Companies in Gaza and a distant relative of the victim, said Wednesday’s convoy was “100%” coordinated through the U.N. World Food Program and the WCK food aid agency and had just entered Gaza through the only crossing point still operating for aid shipments.

“An Israeli officer and several soldiers approached the drivers, asked why they were there, then ordered them all to get out of their trucks. They attacked the drivers, beat them and forced them to rob them,” Esleem said. “As Ahmet raised his hands to surrender, one of the soldiers drew his M16 rifle and shot him directly in the head,” he said. “This was a field execution and deliberate killing of a civilian driver who complied with all instructions. He was wearing his orange safety vest and had all the necessary permits, security clearances and coordination approved by the IDF. [Israel Defense Forces].”

Esleem’s employer, Iyad Qamri Trade and Public Transport Company, also said he was killed at close range by a soldier after the convoy he was in stopped and the two drivers were ordered to get off by an army patrol.

A. Photo of Ahmed Esleem’s body When he arrived at the hospital, he was seen with the part of his head heavily bandaged for what appeared to be a serious wound. Ahmad Esleem, 30, from Deir al-Balah, was married and had two children under the age of two.

Eyad Esleem, the owner of Iyad Qamri and Jihad’s brother, said: “The drivers leave their homes at 3am, leaving their wives and children behind, and one of them may return to his family dead. Ahmed left behind a one-month-old baby and a little girl. Since the incident, five drivers from my company have told me that they will not return to work at the crossing under any circumstances. They have resigned. The rest do not continue because they want to, but because they have to provide for their families.”

The IDF confirmed the shooting but gave a different version of the sequence of events. “On Wednesday, IDF troops detected three aid truck drivers stopping along the Philadelphi Corridor and getting out of their trucks in violation of established procedures,” a military spokesman said. IDF troops operating in the area detained the drivers for questioning. At the same time, the driver of another truck stopped at a nearby barricade ran towards the soldiers. Soldiers initiated protocol to apprehend the suspect and opened fire on him after perceiving an immediate threat.

“As a result of the fire, the driver was injured. Soldiers gave him first medical aid at the scene. The driver was then transferred for further medical treatment in coordination with the Red Cross,” the army spokesman said, adding that the incident was under investigation.

Truckers from private companies are routinely hired by the UN and other humanitarian organizations to transport food and other essential goods into and around Gaza. Aid flows to the region have increased significantly since a partial ceasefire in October, but working as a truck driver is an extremely dangerous job, with the Israeli army still occupying more than 60 percent of the region and continuing to carry out attacks against targets thought to be linked to Hamas.

On 21 May, two Palestinian drivers were allegedly shot in similar circumstances to Ahmad Esleem. According to local sources, Mohammed al-Heela and Mahmoud Awad were detained by Israeli soldiers for several days, then released near an intersection in Rafah and shot by their captors after walking a few meters away.

The IDF told the association that the drivers’ route was not coordinated with the military, but Esleem denied the claim, arguing that this claim had been recorded and confirmed.

Last month, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two drivers working for the UN child protection agency Unicef ​​while they were filling water trucks at a distribution point in Mansoura, north of Gaza. Asked about the incident, the IDF said its soldiers “perceived a threat” without providing further details.

In April 2024, seven WCK employees were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a convoy south of Gaza. The victims were dual US-Canadian citizens, as well as British, Australian, Polish and Palestinian citizens.

“Drivers are subjected to daily violations such as beatings, harassment, humiliation and being forced to stand in the sun for long hours,” Esleem said. “Even more disturbing was that the soldier who shot Ahmed later spoke to the three surviving drivers, threatening them that they would suffer the same fate as Ahmed. This clearly shows that the attack was deliberate.”

The Association of Transport Companies will hold an emergency board meeting on Friday to discuss the suspension of activities at the Keren Shalom crossing point.

“It is important for everyone to understand that the Palestinian truck driver is the vital link and first point of contact between the Israeli side and Gaza. They should not be prevented from fulfilling this role,” Esleem said.

Aside from the risks from the armed forces, he said the association’s drivers were put at further risk by being asked by both soldiers and traders to smuggle contraband goods, mostly cigarettes.

“I hold the IDF responsible for the continuation of these dangerous actions because truck drivers have no role in smuggling,” Esleem said. He added that there was an incident on Wednesdays with traders trying to smuggle cigarettes hidden inside hollowed-out pineapples.