Israel halts commercial goods from entering Gaza; Hamas denies tax claims

The halt to commercial shipments, including fruit and winter clothing, cuts off a key source of critical supplies.

Al JazeeraAl Jazeera Staff2026-10-15 21:57查看原文 ↗

The halt to commercial shipments, including fruit and winter clothing, cuts off a key source of critical supplies.

A global food monitor warned that more than two-thirds of Gazans could face acute hunger by the end of the year [File: Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty]

Israeli authorities say no commercial goods have entered Gaza for two days, citing what they claim is a tax dispute between local merchants and Hamas.

COGAT, or the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli military body that “oversees humanitarian affairs” in Gaza, announced the halt on Wednesday.

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COGAT claimed that local merchants “made the decision in response to a 10,000 shekel ($3,220) fee imposed by Hamas on each truck entering Gaza” as well as a demand for 30 percent of all sales in Gaza to be carried out in cash.

This decision is expected to impact a crucial source of food and goods for the 2.1 million people in the Strip, who are completely reliant on Israel’s border crossings in a territory that is still suffering from famine .

Gaza’s government media office refuted the claims on Thursday and condemned the “blatant disinformation campaign and false statement”.

The media office instead said it was an attempt “to hold the government apparatus in Gaza responsible for the disruption of truck entry” and that the fee was a voluntary payment to a fund providing aid for those in need, such as widows and orphans.

It also said that cash payments were encouraged due to what it described as an acute cash shortage in the war-torn territory, but were never a mandatory requirement.

A Palestinian looks on at a house targeted by Israeli airstrikes in az-Zawayda, central Gaza Strip, October 11, 2026 [Mahmoud Issa/Reuters]

An already dire humanitarian crisis

The halt to commercial shipments, including fruit and winter clothing, cuts off a key source of food and other critical supplies as fears mount ahead of the encroaching winter.

Aid groups generally bring in staples such as flour, while merchants import more perishable foods like fruits and meat, according to data released earlier this year by COGAT.

The suspension is raising fears about affordability, with humanitarian workers saying a combination of aid and a robust commercial market is needed to keep prices under control.

“The humanitarian sector on its own cannot meet the needs of all the people,” said Shaina Low, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council. “The markets need to be functioning.”

Two Palestinian women walk along a street lined with buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City, October 14, 2026 [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]

Local merchants step in

The head of Gaza’s private truckers union, Nahed Sheheiber, denied the Israeli narrative, saying: “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.”

Following COGAT’s announcement, Sheheiber’s union met with Gaza’s Ministry of Economy to express concern and say Israel was citing fees levied by the ministry as a pretext to cut off commercial goods.

A global hunger monitor in July warned that more than two-thirds of people in Gaza could face acute hunger by the year-end.

Israel is obliged under a US-mediated agreement to allow a minimum of 600 trucks carrying humanitarian aid to enter Gaza each day.

Diplomats say that far fewer than 600 trucks normally enter Gaza each day. Sheheiber said the figure was closer to 300, with two-thirds carrying commercial goods.

商业运输的停滞，包括水果和冬季服装的运输，切断了关键物资的重要来源。

全球粮食监测机构警告称，到今年年底，超过三分之二的加沙人可能面临严重饥饿。[图片：Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty]

以色列当局称，两天来没有商业货物进入加沙，理由是当地商人与哈马斯之间存在税务纠纷。

以色列政府领土活动协调处（COGAT）是负责“监督加沙人道主义事务”的以色列军事机构，该机构于周三宣布停止行动。

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COGAT 声称，当地商户“做出这一决定是为了回应哈马斯对每辆进入加沙的卡车征收 10,000 谢克尔（3,220 美元）的费用”，以及要求加沙所有销售额的 30% 必须以现金进行。

预计这一决定将对加沙地带 210 万人口的重要食品和物资来源产生影响，他们完全依赖以色列的边境口岸，而该地区目前仍遭受饥荒。

加沙政府媒体办公室周四驳斥了这些说法，并谴责了“公然的虚假信息宣传和虚假声明”。

媒体办公室则表示，此举意在“追究加沙政府机构对卡车入境受阻的责任”，并称该费用是自愿支付给一个为寡妇和孤儿等有需要的人提供援助的基金。

报告还指出，由于战乱地区现金严重短缺，鼓励使用现金支付，但现金支付并非强制性要求。