Tsav-9, the Israeli extremists stationed at the borders of Gaza

In mid-January, Rachel Touitou came across a call posted on Facebook by Israeli citizens outraged by the shipment of humanitarian convoys to the Gaza Strip. Israel's war had, at the time, exceeded its third month, and for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, the Israeli government allowed the entry of humanitarian aid into the enclave via the Kerem Shalom crossing point. Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet then mentioned "an urgent need for security." Meanwhile, a little further northwest at the Egypt-controlled Rafah crossing, the only point through which trucks are allowed to enter, the transit capacity reached its limits. Implicitly, it was mainly international pressure, particularly repeated calls from the United States to avoid a humanitarian crisis, that pushed the Israeli state to loosen its grip on aid delivery.

While the decision was welcomed by the White House, it was hard to swallow for some Israelis. Contributing to "help" the Gaza population, while hostages remain in captivity was an unbearable thought for some.

From fifty initial respondents to the citizen call launched on Facebook, the Tsav-9 group quickly grew to over 400 individuals, estimates Rachel Touitou, in an interview given on Feb. 10 to the French-language Israeli channel Tandem TV. Touitou, a young Franco-Israeli, served as spokesperson of Tsav-9, which got its name from order Tsav-8, which was sent by the Israeli army to requisition reservists in the event of an emergency. On Jan. 18, the collective’s first operation was launched. Dozens of protesters camped for three days in front of the Kerem Shalom terminal, preventing the passage of more than a hundred humanitarian trucks, redirected to Rafah. Among protesters were "people from the right, from the left, religious and secular people," boasted the collective, as well as families of soldiers sent to Gaza and relatives of people abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

Fuel for Hamas rockets?

The protestors shared a common conviction: that at least 70 percent of the humanitarian aid is diverted to Hamas, which controls the enclave. "Why would we let these convoys pass directly into the hands of our enemies?" asked Rachel Touitou to anyone who wanted to hear.

This fundamental premise within the collective is based on statements made by Ronen Bar, the head of Shin Bet, the Israeli intelligence service, at the end of January to Israeli Channel 14. Bar estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of the supplies destined for Gazan civilians benefited Hamas fighters.

Speaking on the Israeli web radio, Studio Quality, Touitou said that the problem does not only concern foodstuffs that would be confiscated from civilians, "whether they die of hunger or not.” Meanwhile, international organizations warn of an imminent risk of famine in Gaza. She also believed it would imply Israel indirectly allowing a supply of fuel to Hamas, thus "feeding their rockets that kill Israeli soldiers" and "their underground tunnels."

Touitou claims this would be carried out with the complicity of UNRWA, the UN agency that has become a pillar of aid delivery in Gaza, and which she considers a "branch of Hamas." Touitou’s views towards UNRWA are shared by Israel’s far-right government.

Tsav-9 operations, which continue day after day, have been so effective that they pushed the government to intervene. On Jan. 28, the Israeli army deployed roadblocks around the border post to block the protesters, some of whom had set up tents to camp for several days, before the crossing point was declared a closed military zone by army decree. On Feb. 1, 30 protesters were arrested for causing riots and insulting police forces near Kerem Shalom, where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was expected a week later. Faced with the threat of disruptions, the visit was finally canceled. "We are not an anarchic movement, there are rules, we know that. But we break some because we have to shake up the system," Touitou claims nonetheless.

'The government likes what you're doing'

Such a position is all the more acceptable according to Touitou because the collective's fight embodies the will of an entire people. According to a survey conducted by the Israeli channel 12 published at the end of January, out of about 500 respondents, 72 percent of Israelis believe that humanitarian aid should not enter Gaza if the hostages are not released. This estimation is difficult to verify, but it reinforces Tsav-9 in the pursuit of its actions.

Many voices in Israel, however, have spoken out against Tsav-9, and consider the movement as serving only to starve the civilians of Gaza. "Opposing the supply of water, medicines, and supplies to the most miserable populations on the planet seems grotesque, a paradox for Israel or for anyone else. Why do it?" stated Dahlia Scheindlin, an Israeli expert in political communication, in Haaretz, a left-wing Israeli newspaper.

Tsav-9, joined by similar groups, has also been active in Nitzana, on the Egyptian border, as well as in the port of Ashdod, located a few kilometers from Gaza, where containers loaded with foodstuffs have been blocked by militants.

These actions have been supported by Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. According to Haaretz, police presence at Kerem Shalom was also reduced after the first clashes, "and even when the police showed up, they let the protesters pass," seeing there the hand of the ultra-nationalist Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, "whose supporters are involved in the demonstrations," claimed Haaretz.

That's why supporters of Tsav-9, which is declared to be non-partisan, say that this type of action is supported from the top of the state right through to the ranks of the army. "The government likes what they’re doing because they’re saying what they can't say," said Galith Benzimra, a columnist on Tandem TV, openly supportive of the actions of the collective. "They are obliged to prevent you and to sanction you, they could even sanction you more if they really wished," she adds.

Criticism of the government within this circle has thus been half-hearted and is a far cry from the calls for resignation chanted during the massive demonstrations that erupted in recent weeks in Tel Aviv. Activists opposed to sending humanitarian aid to Gaza believe ultimately that Israeli authorities are tied hand and foot by international pressure, resulting from the "political correctness of Western chancelleries," said Avi Vanwetter, a geopolitics professor speaking on Tandem TV.

The release of the 130 hostages still held in Gaza is the declared primary motive of Tsav-9, and Washington is currently pushing in this direction, demanding a ceasefire that would allow the captives to return to Israel.

This article was originally published in L'Orient-Le Jour.