Israel Halts Commercial Goods Into Gaza Amid Disputed Tax Claims
The stoppage cuts off critical food and winter supplies for 2.1 million residents, as Israeli officials and Gaza authorities trade blame over transport fees.
At a glance
- Israeli authorities halted commercial shipments into Gaza, citing a tax row between merchants and Hamas.
- Gaza officials and truckers rejected the claim, accusing Israel of using voluntary fees as a pretext to stop deliveries.
- The suspension threatens supplies of fresh food and winter goods for 2.1 million residents facing severe hunger.
Israeli authorities suspended commercial deliveries into the Gaza Strip, cutting off private shipments of food and other essential goods for 2.1 million residents, officials said on Wednesday.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency overseeing humanitarian coordination in Gaza, claimed the two-day stoppage occurred after local merchants refused to transport goods. The agency alleged that merchants were protesting a 10,000 shekel ($3,220) fee imposed by Hamas on each truck, alongside demands for 30 percent of commercial sales to be conducted in cash.
Gaza's government media office strongly denied the Israeli narrative on Thursday, calling it a disinformation effort aimed at deflecting blame for the crossing closures. The office stated that fees collected were voluntary contributions directed toward welfare funds for widows and orphans, and added that cash transactions were encouraged solely due to severe liquidity shortages, not enforced as mandatory.
Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza's private truckers union, also refuted COGAT's account, stating that the restrictions were directly enacted by Israel rather than local merchants. According to Sheheiber, Israeli authorities used administrative fees as a pretext to halt commercial cargo. He noted that typical traffic averages around 300 trucks per day—two-thirds of which are commercial—far below the minimum 600 daily humanitarian trucks required under a US-brokered pact.
Aid organizations warn that halting commercial trade threatens Gaza's fragile food supply during an ongoing famine crisis. While humanitarian groups largely provide staple goods like flour, commercial operators bring in perishables such as fresh meat, fruit, and seasonal items like winter clothing. Shaina Low, a representative for the Norwegian Refugee Council, stressed that humanitarian supplies alone cannot sustain the population and that functioning markets are necessary to curb soaring prices.
The suspension follows warnings from a global hunger monitor in July that more than two-thirds of Gaza's population could endure acute hunger before the end of the year.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why did Israel halt commercial shipments into Gaza?
- Israel's COGAT claimed local merchants refused to operate due to a 10,000 shekel ($3,220) per-truck fee and cash sales requirements reportedly imposed by Hamas.
- How did Gaza officials respond to Israel's claims?
- Gaza authorities called the claims false disinformation, stating the fees were voluntary charity payments and that Israel initiated the supply restrictions.
- Why are commercial goods important for Gaza alongside aid?
- Commercial trucks bring in perishables like fruit and meat, as well as clothing, which help stabilize local market prices beyond standard aid staples.
