Israel says Gaza commercial deliveries halted amid merchant dispute with Hamas

Jerusalem, Israel. Israel said commercial shipments into Gaza had stopped because of a tax dispute between Palestinian merchants and Hamas, cutting off an important supply of food and other products for an aid-dependent population. A Gaza transport official subsequently reported that goods from Egypt were still arriving, although no commercial trucks from Israel entered on Thursday.

Merchants and Hamas give differing accounts

In a statement issued Wednesday, COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for overseeing humanitarian matters in Gaza, said local merchants had decided to suspend coordination with it over commercial imports.

According to COGAT, the merchants attributed their decision to a Hamas levy of 10,000 shekels ($3,220) per truck entering the territory. They also reported a requirement that cash account for 30% of their total sales within Gaza.

Hamas later described the 10,000-shekel payment as a voluntary contribution from wealthy Gaza residents to a national fund supporting people in need, including widows and orphans. It said it encouraged cash transactions because the war-damaged territory was experiencing a severe shortage of cash.

Transport official reports some deliveries continuing

Nahed Shhaibar, who heads Gaza’s private transport union, said Thursday saw no arrivals of trucks bringing commercial products from Israel. He said humanitarian shipments continued, alongside commercial cargo coming from Egypt through a crossing controlled by Israel.

COGAT said the merchants’ move would halve the combined daily flow of humanitarian and commercial trucks to approximately 300.

Diplomats, however, say normal daily arrivals are well below 600 trucks. Shhaibar put the usual total nearer 300, with commercial cargo accounting for two-thirds.

Aid dependence and delivery obligations

Under an agreement mediated by the US, Israel must permit at least 600 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to enter Gaza daily. Israel maintains that its obligation is to admit only 600 trucks and says commercial supplies are necessary to complement aid.

Most Gaza residents rely on assistance after three years of conflict, successive displacements and tight Israeli limits on aid deliveries. Of the territory’s roughly 2 million inhabitants, most live in improvised shelters.

In July, a global body monitoring hunger warned that acute hunger could affect over two-thirds of Gaza’s population before the end of the year.