Gaza commercial shipments halted amid Israel-traders dispute over cause

COGAT announced Wednesday that commercial goods were no longer entering Gaza. As of Thursday, none had entered for two days, cutting off merchant supplies such as fruit and winter clothing in a territory reliant on what Israel allows through crossings. COGAT Lt. Daniel Kantorovich said vendors cancelled coordination over Hamas taxation and threats, citing a 10,000-shekel (about $3,226) fee per truck and a demand for 30% of sales in cash. Hamas has called the fee a voluntary payment to a fund for widows and orphans. Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza's private transport union, said merchants did not stop the shipments and Israel imposed the restrictions. At a union meeting with Gaza's Ministry of Economy after the announcement, Khaled Al-Raqab said the 10,000 shekels is a donation, not a tax. COGAT said total daily trucks fall to around 300, about half of normal, and that roughly 2 million Gazans need about 250 truckloads a day. Sheheiber put entries near 300, two-thirds commercial. A US-mediated agreement requires at least 600 humanitarian trucks daily; diplomats say far fewer normally enter. Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council said, "The humanitarian sector on its own cannot meet the needs of all the people" and "The markets need to be functioning." Famine was declared in Gaza in August 2025.