Israeli authorities say no commercial goods have entered Gaza for two days, linking the halt to what they describe as a tax dispute between local merchants and Hamas. Gaza’s government media office has rejected that explanation and accused Israel of spreading false information.
COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian affairs in the territories, announced the halt on Wednesday. The decision is expected to affect a key source of food and goods for the 2.1 million people in the Strip, who depend almost entirely on Israel’s border crossings in a territory still suffering from famine.
COGAT cites fees and cash demands on merchants
COGAT claimed that local merchants acted in response to a 10,000 shekel ($3,220) fee it said Hamas had imposed on each truck entering Gaza. It also cited a demand that 30 percent of all sales in Gaza be carried out in cash.
The halt will cut off commercial shipments that help supply the population, and the agency’s account has not been independently verified by the outlets that reported it.
Gaza media office rejects the tax claims
Gaza’s government media office refuted the claims on Thursday, condemning what it called a “blatant disinformation campaign and false statement”. It said the move was an attempt to hold the government apparatus in Gaza responsible for the disruption of truck entry.
The office said the fee was a voluntary payment to a fund that provides aid to people in need, including widows and orphans. It added that cash payments were encouraged because of an acute cash shortage in the war-torn territory, but were never mandatory.
Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza’s private truckers union, also denied the Israeli account. “The Israeli coordinator is claiming that Gaza’s merchants are responsible, but the truth is that the Israelis are the ones who imposed the restrictions,” he said.
After COGAT’s announcement, Sheheiber’s union met Gaza’s Ministry of Economy to voice concern. The union said Israel was citing fees levied by the ministry as a pretext to cut off commercial goods.
Fears grow over food prices before winter
The halt covers commercial shipments including fruit and winter clothing, at a time when concern is rising ahead of the approaching winter. Aid groups generally bring in staples such as flour, while merchants import more perishable foods like fruit and meat, according to data COGAT released earlier this year.
The suspension is raising fears about affordability. Shaina Low, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said: “The humanitarian sector on its own cannot meet the needs of all the people. The markets need to be functioning.”
A global hunger monitor warned in July that more than two-thirds of people in Gaza could face acute hunger by the end of the year.
Disputed truck numbers under the US-mediated deal
Under a US-mediated agreement, Israel is obliged to allow a minimum of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza each day. Diplomats say that far fewer than 600 trucks normally enter the territory daily.
Sheheiber said the figure was closer to 300, with two-thirds of those trucks carrying commercial goods.
