Hundreds of thousands of dollars of tax-deductible donations from the US and Israel are subsidizing hyper-Zionist Jews who block aid convoys to war-torn Gaza, a new report shows.
- So-called far-right Jewish groups working to block life-saving aid from reaching desperate Palestinians have raised over $200,000 in tax-deductible donations from U.S. and Israeli donors.
- Among these groups—Mother’s March, Torat Lechima, aka “combat doctrine,” and Tzav 9—have directly impeded aid deliveries by physically blocking trucks and causing delays at major border crossings into Gaza.
- Mother’s March is said to have raised $125,000+ via the Israeli crowdfunding site Givechack and an additional $13,000 through the U.S.-Israeli platform JGive. Tzav 9 raised $85,000 before earning US sanctions for using violence to obstruct and loot aid delivery trucks, resulting in food and medical supplies being dumped onto the road.
What they’re saying: Groups that directly block aid from reaching war-weary Palestinians blame their actions on Hamas for not releasing October 7th military captives. They also claim that freedom fighters are stealing aid that enters the Gaza Strip.
- “No to ‘humanitarian’ aid that grants fuel to the enemy who kills us! No to the hundreds of trucks that pass every day through Kerem Shalom – and drag out the war!” said the group Mother’s March in a crowdfunding campaign.
- “If you’re on the one hand saying you’re allowing aid in but then also facilitating the actions of groups that are blocking it, can you really say you’re facilitating aid?” Said Tania Hary, executive director of Israeli nonprofit Gisha.
- “They’re getting signals from various places in the government that Gaza should be completely cut off,” she said.
Between the lines: Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a Zionist Warhawk, has tacitly supported these groups, asserting that aid to Gaza should be blocked while supporting citizens’ right to demonstrate.
- Israeli police, under Ben-Gvir’s authority, have made few arrests despite reports of road blockages and supply destruction.
- While these groups occasionally face Western sanctions, their effectiveness is unclear. Hyper Zionist groups and right-wing settler militias in the occupied West Bank who have previously faced US sanctions continue to operate with seemingly little effect.
Why it matters: Israel’s crippling siege of Gaza, which includes a communications blackout and the destruction of nearly all major hospitals, has directly and indirectly led to the mass killing of almost 40,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children.
- Fundraising efforts conducted on behalf of these Zionist activist groups also contradict stated U.S. and Israeli commitments to allow “unlimited humanitarian aid” into Gaza, where over 80% of the population is currently displaced and at risk of famine.
- Its actions in the region have sparked international outrage, condemnation, and even accusations of genocide, currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court. Its leaders also face arrest warrants for “crimes against humanity.”
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