Driver Shot Dead After Exiting Truck on Philadelphi Corridor; Incident Under Review

Ahmad Esleem, a 30-year-old Palestinian driver from Deir al-Balah, was shot in the head and killed by an Israeli soldier on Wednesday while transporting food aid into Gaza. Esleem worked for Iyad Qamri Trading and Public Transport Company and was married with two children under the age of two, including a one-month-old baby.

The shooting occurred on the Philadelphi corridor after a four-truck aid convoy entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing and one truck broke down.

Diaa Mansour, another driver in the convoy, said soldiers ordered Esleem, Mansour and Alaa Shaat to dismount their trucks. Mansour stated that soldiers ordered him to remove his clothes and sit under the sun, then brought Esleem out of his truck. Mansour said Esleem stood with his hands raised when a soldier shot him in the head.

Jihad Esleem, deputy head of the Association of Transport Companies in Gaza, said an Israeli officer and soldiers approached the drivers, ordered them out, assaulted them, beat them and forced them to strip. He stated that Esleem wore an orange safety vest and carried all required permits, security clearances and IDF coordination approvals.

Jihad Esleem said a soldier drew an M16 rifle and shot Esleem directly in the head the moment he raised his hands.

The IDF stated that troops identified three aid truck drivers who had stopped along the Philadelphi corridor and exited their trucks contrary to established procedures. The IDF said troops detained the three drivers for questioning while the driver of another truck ran toward the troops from a nearby roadblock.