Israeli authorities stated on Wednesday that no commercial goods had entered Gaza for two days. The military body overseeing humanitarian affairs in the territory attributed the halt to a dispute between local merchants and Hamas.
COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, announced the suspension. The agency claimed that local merchants halted shipments in response to a 10,000 shekel, or $3,220, fee imposed by Hamas on every truck entering Gaza. COGAT also alleged that Hamas demanded 30 percent of all sales in the territory be conducted in cash.
This suspension cuts off food and supplies for the 2.1 million residents of the Strip. The territory relies entirely on Israeli border crossings and continues to suffer from famine.
Gaza’s government media office rejected the Israeli claims on Thursday. It condemned the announcement as a false statement aimed at shifting blame onto the local government for the blocked trucks.
The media office explained that the fee was a voluntary contribution to a fund supporting vulnerable populations, including widows and orphans. Officials added that cash payments were encouraged due to a severe cash shortage in the war-torn enclave, but insisted they were never mandatory.
The stoppage blocks supplies such as fruit and winter clothing as cold weather approaches. While aid organisations supply basic staples like flour, merchants import perishable items like meat and fresh produce, according to COGAT data released earlier this year.
Humanitarian workers warned that the blockade threatens food affordability and market stability. A robust commercial market must operate alongside aid to keep prices manageable for residents.
Shaina Low, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the humanitarian sector on its own cannot meet the needs of all the people, adding that markets need to be functioning.
Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza’s private truckers union, also disputed the Israeli account. He stated that the Israeli coordinator was blaming merchants while the Israelis themselves imposed the restrictions.
Sheheiber’s union met with the Gaza Ministry of Economy following COGAT’s announcement to raise concerns. The union concluded that Israel was using Ministry of Economy levies as a pretext to block commercial traffic.
A global hunger monitor warned in July that more than two-thirds of the population in Gaza could face acute hunger before the end of the year. Under a US-mediated agreement, Israel is required to permit a minimum of 600 humanitarian trucks to enter Gaza daily.
Diplomats stated that actual entry numbers fall far short of that target. Sheheiber stated that daily entries hover around 300 trucks, with two-thirds of those carrying commercial goods.
