Father of Gaza aid truck driver killed by IDF says soldier shot him ‘between the eyes’

Truck drivers in Strip demand better protection after Ahmad Esleem killed while bringing aid into the enclave through the Kerem Shalom Crossing

By Nurit Yohanan

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Nurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent

The father of Palestinian truck driver Ahmad Esleem, who was shot dead by IDF troops in Gaza on Wednesday, spoke out against the circumstances of his son’s death in a Hebrew-language video published by the Haaretz daily on Saturday.

Nasser Esleem said in the video that his son had been on his way to “bring food for the children” when he was killed.

“He had held a license for eight years. He had worked at Kerem Shalom for eight years. He was vetted by the army. He had a permit. Then a soldier came and put a bullet between his eyes,” Nasser lamented.

Media outlets in Gaza reported on Wednesday that Esleem was shot dead by Israeli troops on his way back into the Strip while transporting aid through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.

At the time, the IDF told The Times of Israel that Esleem “ran toward troops, who initiated the suspect arrest procedure. During the procedure, they perceived an immediate threat and opened fire.”

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The military said the incident was under investigation.

???? World Central Kitchen said Israeli forces killed Ahmad Nasser Saleem, a driver working for one of its partner logistics companies, while he was transporting aid from the Kerem Shalom crossing to a WCK warehouse in Gaza on on Wednesday, July 8.

WCK called for a full… pic.twitter.com/dNX9QrGJZa

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) July 9, 2026

Nasser delivered the remarks during a protest in Gaza over his son’s death on Saturday, which was attended by several dozen people.

Among the participants were truck drivers, who carried signs in Hebrew, Arabic and English, demanding to “protect the private sector.”

Included in Gaza’s private sector are the companies entrusted with transporting and trading humanitarian aid and supplies.

Other signs seen at the protest proclaimed that “the world must give Gaza a chance to live.”

תקשיבו לנאסר סלים, אביו של אחמד סלים, נהג משאית שלפי עדי ראייה הוצא להורג על ידי חייל צה"ל בציר פילדלפי ביום רביעי. נאסר פונה לציבור הישראלי בעברית מושלמת: "אין לכם רחמים?". למטה כתבה. pic.twitter.com/UPo7bQcByg

— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) July 10, 2026

Jihad Esleem, deputy head of Gaza’s Private Transport Association, who participated in the protest, said that “aid truck drivers are being subjected to systematic killings and deliberate attacks while carrying out their humanitarian duty of transporting aid into the Gaza Strip.”

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 73,000 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel sparked the war in the enclave — including over 1,000 since the October 2025 ceasefire — though the toll is unverified and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

The Israeli military believes that Hamas’s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three civilians were killed for every dead terror operative.

The IDF says it has killed over 23,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools and mosques.

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