Gaza Merchants Halt Aid Shipments Amid Hamas Extortion

Israel's Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major General Yoram Levy, sent an urgent letter to international officials on Wednesday, informing them that private sector merchants have decided to stop coordinating the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip until further notice. This decision stems from Hamas's imposed taxation mechanism and escalating threats against merchants who refuse to comply with its demands. The letter was addressed to Nikolay Mladenov, the senior envoy for Gaza in the Peace Council, Major General Jasper Jeffers, commander of the International Stabilization Force for the Gaza Strip, and Rami Al-Akbarov, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the region.

Levy emphasized that the private sector accounts for approximately 50% of the weekly truckloads entering Gaza. The halt in their operations hinders Israel's ability to meet the target of 600 trucks per day, as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement. Reports indicate that on Tuesday, Hamas security forces arrested the son of a merchant who refused to pay the organization's taxes, holding him in Abbas Prison. This incident, coupled with fears for their safety, prompted the merchants' decision to cease coordination starting Wednesday.

According to merchant reports, Hamas is demanding approximately 10,000 shekels per truckload of goods and requires them to sell about 30% of the merchandise for cash. These demands contradict the approved merchants' commitment to conduct transactions solely through bank transfers. The taxation mechanism has reportedly been extended to sub-merchants and Hamas intends to apply it to drinking water as well.

The COGAT coordinator stressed that Hamas bears responsibility for the consequences of the private sector's cessation of activities. He urged international actors to intervene immediately to prevent Hamas from interfering with the entry of aid and goods into Gaza and exploiting it for economic and military buildup. Levy also warned that Hamas would likely use the private sector's halt to spread false claims of shortages and Israeli non-compliance, aiming to shift blame to Israel and conceal its own role in disrupting the flow of goods.

COGAT will continue to facilitate the coordination of humanitarian aid and supplies into Gaza through the UN, international organizations, and donor countries, including winter supplies. COGAT estimates, supported by UN and international professional assessments, that approximately 250 trucks per day through these channels are sufficient to meet the Strip's humanitarian needs. This incident follows previous instances where Hamas has exploited aid mechanisms for terror purposes, such as an August discovery of liquid nicotine smuggled within water bottles disguised as humanitarian aid, which led COGAT to immediately freeze the company's approval to deliver aid.