(NewsNation) — Several Israeli demonstrators allegedly blocked aid trucks that were en route to Gaza, throwing and destroying food before the convoy could reach the enclave that humanitarian groups say is in “full-blown famine,” according to multiple reports.
Four protesters, including a minor, were arrested at the protest at Tarqumiya checkpoint, west of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Reuters reported.
Videos circulated on social media appearing to show Israel supporters, who are mostly young men, ripping apart boxes of food and tossing it away from the aid truck Monday. In the videos, rice, flour and other food are thrown on the ground, and the alleged demonstrators are seen stomping on the boxes.
The protesters are accused of setting fire to the vehicles, reported The Guardian.
The White House condemned the actions, calling it “looting.”
“It is a total outrage that there are people who are attacking and looting these convoys coming from Jordan, going to Gaza to deliver humanitarian assistance,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
“We are also raising our concerns at the highest level of the Israeli government and it’s something that we make no bones about – this is completely and utterly unacceptable behavior.”
The Rafah crossing into Egypt has been closed since Israeli troops seized it a week ago. Israel gained full control over the entry and exit of people and goods.
No food has reportedly entered the two main border crossings in southern Gaza for the past week, the New York Times reported. It is a region that had been sheltering 1.3 million Palestinians, many of whom have fled since Israel took control of the crossing.
The U.N. warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of the Rafah crossing from Egypt and the other main crossing into Gaza and said that northern Gaza is experiencing “full-blown famine.”
In March, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to allow access to food aid in Gaza.