Exclusive: Israeli Extremists Deplatformed Over Gaza Aid Attacks

An Israeli activist group that has been attacking aid shipments bound for the Gaza Strip was removed from a leading fundraising platform after Newsweek inquiries.

The Tzav 9 group's JGive fundraiser had raised more than $87,000 garnered from more than 1,480 donors, as of Thursday. The campaign page declared the group's intention to "stop the supply convoys from reaching Hamas," along with the Tzav 9 logo and its refrain of: "Victory depends on you!"

The group has vowed to block all aid until all remaining hostages taken captive during Hamas' October 7 attack—which killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel—are released from the Gaza Strip. "Supplies and humanitarian aid for Gazan civilians must be withheld until our hostages receive medicines, food and Red Cross visitation," the group's fundraising page said.

"Join Tzav 9—respond to the emergency call-up of our civilian force, and help fund the costs of waging and winning this war. Donate now—because our victory depends on YOU!"

As of Thursday morning, the group's JGive page was still live and accepting donations, most of which were made in Israeli shekels and signed in Hebrew, though some were made in U.S. dollars and signed in Latin script.

The page has been active for several months, through the group's steady escalation of action and despite multiple members being arrested. Terms of use for the website assert that users cannot publish any content that "encourages the commission of a criminal or civil offense" or "constitutes breach of any law."

Following a Newsweek request for information on the fundraising drive, a JGive representative said the group had been deplatformed by late Thursday evening. As of Friday morning, Tzav 9's official website still linked users to its defunct JGive page.

"JGive is a platform used by recognized NGOs that comply with our regulations and with the laws of the State of Israel," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

"We have closely followed recent events regarding the said organization and decided to remove the campaign from our platform pending a state investigation into the incident."

Tzav 9 made international headlines this week as its long-running campaign against humanitarian aid for Gaza escalated. Activists have repeatedly attacked convoys carrying aid, and this week, new videos emerged of Tzav 9 members destroying aid, with protesters later burning vehicles.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has described such attacks as "a total outrage."

In a statement to The Jerusalem Post earlier this week, Tzav 9 said the more violent elements of its action "are not in line with the values of our movement."

Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip is now seven months old, but its goal of "eradicating" Hamas and bringing the Palestinian territory under renewed military control still appear distant. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed there, per Gaza Health Ministry figures cited by The Associated Press.

There remains little clear plan for postwar Gaza, a fact that has reportedly prompted conflict within Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wartime cabinet.

Far-right politicians and groups are exploiting the policy vacuum to push for punitive action against Palestinian civilians. This includes their resettlement from Gaza; the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the coastal territory; and the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank that are considered illegal under international law.

Such sentiment is causing friction with Israel's prime international backers. President Joe Biden and his top officials have repeatedly said that no Palestinians should be forced from Gaza; that West Bank settlements are an impediment to peace; and that the re-establishment of Israeli military occupation there would be a big mistake.

Israel's failure to facilitate adequate humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians is also riling the U.S. The closures of the Rafah and Kerem Shalom border crossings, plus the recent attacks on aid convoys by Tzav 9 and others this week, have piqued White House frustration.

Sullivan told reporters in Washington on Monday: "It is a total outrage that there are people who are attacking and looting these convoys.

"We are looking at the tools that we have to respond to this," Sullivan added. "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."

Israeli public broadcaster KAN had reported that Tzav 9 will halt its protests until further notice following the recent violent attacks on aid trucks. However, in a statement posted to social media, the group said its members would "return next week to prevent aid trucks from reaching Hamas."

Updated on 05/17/2024 at 8:41 a.m. ET with edited text