Israeli Air Strike Kills 6 Palestinians Guarding Aid Trucks

JAKARTA - Israeli airstrikes killed six Palestinians guarding aid trucks from looting, Hamas officials said on Friday.

The Israeli military said 107 trucks carrying flour and other foodstuffs as well as medical supplies entered the Gaza Strip from the Kerem SALom crossing point on Thursday, May 22.

However, supply deliveries to people sheltering in tents and other emergency accommodations were uncertain.

So far, the Palestinian aid group's parent network says 119 aid trucks have entered Gaza since Israel relaxed the blockade on Monday after receiving international condemnation.

However, distribution was hampered by looting by a group of men, some of whom were armed, near the town of Khan Younis.

"They stole the food that should have been given to children and families suffering from severe hunger," the network said in a statement.

The network condemns Israeli airstrikes against security teams protecting the trucks.

A Hamas official said six members of the security team tasked with guarding the shipment were killed. There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The aid group network also said the amount of aid entering Gaza was still inadequate and covered only a small amount of supply.

According to them, Israel's approval to allow trucks to enter the area destroyed by the war was a "cheating maneuver" to avoid international pressure calling for the lifting of the blockade.

So far, Israel says it has allowed about 300 trucks into Gaza but aid groups say many trucks have been stuck at the Kerem SALom intersection and have not reached people in need.

The Israeli military said it carried out more attacks on Gaza overnight, hitting 75 targets, including weapons storage facilities and rocket launchers.

Palestinian medical services said 25 people were killed in the attack.

Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza in early March, accusing Hamas of stealing aid aimed at civilians, shortly before violating a ceasefire that had been going on for two months after both sides encountered deadlocks over the requirement to extend it.