Israel Resumes Gaza Commercial Shipments After Hamas Tax Dispute
Translated & summarized from Panet by baba
Israel will resume commercial shipments to Gaza after a dispute over a Hamas tax was resolved. Merchants reported Hamas dropped its demand for a 10,000 shekel tax per truck, allowing the Kerem Shalom crossing to reopen. Shipments will be prioritized for essential goods and monitored via bank transfers. Hamas described the tax as a voluntary donation to support the needy.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel will resume commercial shipments to Gaza after a tax dispute with Hamas was resolved.
- The dispute involved a 10,000 shekel tax per truck demanded by Hamas from merchants.
- Merchants reported Hamas withdrew the tax demand, leading to the reopening of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
- Shipments will be prioritized for essential goods and monitored through documented bank transfers.
- Hamas stated the tax was a voluntary donation to support needy residents in Gaza.
Israel announced on Monday that it will resume allowing commercial goods shipments into the Gaza Strip after a several-day halt. The suspension was caused by a tax dispute between Hamas and local merchants. The decision to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing, a key route for food and essential supplies, was made after merchants reported that Hamas authorities had withdrawn their demand for a 10,000 shekel (approximately $3,225) tax per truck. COGAT, the Israeli military unit coordinating humanitarian affairs in Gaza, stated that the resumption of coordination aligns with Israel's commitment to the humanitarian provisions of the ceasefire agreement. COGAT noted that merchant accounts could not be independently verified and that shipments would resume gradually, prioritizing basic goods before winter. Increased monitoring will be implemented to ensure payments are made and received solely through documented bank transfers, with any merchant found to have paid Hamas being excluded from the arrangement. Hamas claimed the 10,000 shekel fee was a voluntary donation from wealthier Gaza residents to a national fund supporting those in need. The majority of Gaza's population remains reliant on aid due to repeated displacement and severe restrictions on aid delivery, even after a U.S.-brokered ceasefire last year that ended major hostilities but not Israeli attacks.
