Tsav 9 (‘Order 9’) is a right-wing organization formed by some of the families of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7th, IDF reservists, and Jews who live in Judea and Samaria. They sent an open letter to President Trump on his inauguration, petitioning him to cease sending aid to Gaza until all of the hostages are returned.
The group engages in non-violent protests to stop the delivery of aid to Gaza, as much of the aid is hijacked by Hamas and sold to Gazans at exorbitant prices to fund the terrorist war against Israel. Its name refers to ‘Order 8’, an emergency mobilization order for Israeli reservists activated on October 7th.
The letter, signed by Tzav 9 leaders Reut Ben Haim and Shlomo Sarid, opens by congratulating President Trump. It went on to warn that the sending of aid to Gaza only serves to strengthen Hamas.
“To cement its control, Hamas sells the supplies given to them by the world at high prices to civilians, thereby funding the war, controlling the population, and recruiting more hungry and wounded civilians into its ranks. It is illogical to continue providing aid, which only strengthens our enemy during wartime. This is not humanitarian aid to civilians,” they wrote.
In September, Channel 12 reported that Hamas profited by at least a half billion dollars from “humanitarian aid” entering Gaza. Approximately 200 aid trucks enter Gaza daily. The report noted that 3,000 terrorists have been added to Hamas’s payroll since the outbreak of the war.
According to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Hamas terrorists divert at least 60% of the goods entering Gaza for their own purposes.
In June, the Biden administration added Tzav9 to its list of sanctioned entities, categorizing it as a “violent extremist” group. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control listed the group as sanctioned, freezing its US assets and prohibiting Americans from aiding the group.
In the letter to Trump, Tzav9 requested that the incoming administration remove the sanctions.
“We were dismayed to find that complaints from the US-based left-wing organizations, who are undermining Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, misrepresenting our actions as violent, led to sanctions against us by the Biden administration,” the letter read. “These sanctions, based on unfounded allegations, have severely impacted us both personally and financially, without any opportunity for us to defend ourselves.
“These organizations have never filed a complaint against us in Israel because there is no foundation for their false claims of law violation by the movement’s activists. The opposite is true; we have evidence that we acted without any violence and through legitimate and lawful means. But the Biden administration accepted the false information provided to them as absolute truth without any investigation or inquiry and without giving us a chance to defend ourselves and have due process. President Joe Biden issued an executive order imposing personal sanctions on us.”
The group told Trump that they were optimistic about his administration restoring order.
“When we hear you, the elected president of the world’s greatest superpower, speaking with decisiveness and determination, conveying messages that defend fundamental rights and the right to live securely, it gives us hope that things might finally change for the better.
“As an experienced politician and statesman, [and] a successful businessman, you understand that aid to the Gaza Strip strengthens the terrorist organization Hamas, severely harms the State of Israel, and thereby bolsters global evil. You deeply comprehend this war of the sons of light versus the forces of darkness. You understand that Biden’s actions against innocent Israeli citizens as if they were terrorists on the scale of Bin Laden, Sinwar, Nasrallah, or Mohammed Deif are illogical and malicious!”
Despite its negative portrayal in the media and its classification by the Biden administration, polls consistently show that a majority of Israelis favor limiting or halting aid to Gaza. The group has also been targeted by censorship on social media, and its accounts on Instagram and Facebook were suspended in May 2024 for allegedly “promoting criminal activity.”
Sending aid to Gaza is problematic as most of the aid is hijacked by Hamas and used to fund its war against Israel. In a recent study, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar presented data to the ministers in the security cabinet, stating that “82% of those released in the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011 returned to terrorism” and that 15% of them carried out attacks themselves after their release in the deal, or planned the attacks. One of those terrorists released in the Shalit deal was Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the Oct. 7 attack.
