DaysofPal- Delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza has transformed from a mission of mercy into a deadly assignment. Every day, drivers leave their homes before dawn hoping to deliver life-saving supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians facing severe food shortages.
Increasingly, however, they say they have become direct targets of Israeli military fire, raising fears over the future of one of Gaza’s most critical humanitarian lifelines.
As warnings grow that aid transport operations could collapse, new witness accounts have shed light on the killing of Palestinian truck driver Ahmed Aslim, who witnesses say was summarily executed while transporting humanitarian aid as part of a convoy coordinated with international organizations.
Ahmed Aslim, 30, of Deir al-Balah, was killed while delivering food supplies on behalf of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), according to a report published by The Guardian based on the testimonies of three aid truck drivers.
The witnesses said the convoy was forced to stop after one of the trucks broke down shortly after entering Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing. The drivers were waiting for permission to inspect the vehicle, as the convoy had been operating under prior coordination with the Israeli military.
While they waited, Israeli soldiers reportedly arrived at the scene and ordered all the drivers to leave their trucks. Witnesses said some of the drivers were forced to remove their clothing and sit under the sun before soldiers separated Ahmed Aslim from the rest of the group.
The drivers said one of the soldiers then shot Aslim in the head while he stood with his hands up, killing him instantly.
Diaa Mansour, one of the drivers traveling in the convoy, noted the soldiers appeared to question why the trucks had stopped. However, Aslim did not speak Hebrew, and no effective communication took place.
Mansour said the soldiers gave the drivers no opportunity to explain the situation before one of them suddenly opened fire on Aslim. He stressed that there had been no confrontation or threat posed by the drivers.
The witnesses also reported that the soldiers beat, humiliated, and detained the drivers for several hours before allowing them to leave.
Jihad Aslim, deputy head of the Gaza Association of Transport Companies, said the convoy had been “100 percent coordinated” through the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Central Kitchen and had entered Gaza in accordance with approved procedures.
He said Ahmed Aslim was wearing the high-visibility safety vest used by humanitarian aid drivers and carried all the required permits, describing the incident as “the field execution and deliberate killing of a civilian driver who complied with all instructions.”
Jihad Aslim added that the Israeli military later claimed the convoy’s route had not been coordinated, a statement the association categorically rejected.
Family Left Without Its Breadwinner
Ahmed Aslim was married and the father of two children, including an infant who was only one month old.
The transport company that employed him, Eyad Qamari Trading and General Transport Company, said he was shot at close range by an Israeli soldier after the drivers had been ordered out of their trucks.
The company’s owner said drivers leave each day to transport food to Gaza’s population knowing they may never return home. Following the incident, five of the company’s drivers resigned, while others have continued working only because they have families to support.
Pattern of Attacks on Aid Drivers
According to the report, Ahmed Aslim’s killing was not an isolated incident.
It noted that drivers Mohammed Al-Hayla and Mahmoud Awad were killed in May after reportedly being detained and then shot following their release, according to local accounts.
The report also said two drivers working with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were killed while filling water trucks at a distribution point in northern Gaza. It further recalled the Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in April 2024 that killed seven aid workers.
According to the report, these incidents point to growing dangers facing humanitarian personnel, despite operating within officially coordinated relief missions.
Transport Companies Warn of Aid Suspension
Following the incident, the Gaza Association of Private Transport Companies warned that it could suspend aid transport operations through the Kerem Shalom crossing in protest over the continued targeting of aid truck drivers.
Jihad Aslim said drivers are routinely subjected to beatings, humiliation, and prolonged detention, adding that the soldier who shot Ahmed Aslim threatened the remaining drivers with the same fate.
He warned that if drivers stop operating, one of Gaza’s most important channels for delivering food and medicine could be severely disrupted at a time when hundreds of thousands of families depend on daily humanitarian assistance for survival during one of the worst humanitarian crises the territory has faced.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=76231
