Israel stops commercial trucks to Gaza amid disputed Hamas fee claim
Israel’s COGAT announced a two-day halt to commercial trucks entering Gaza, saying the pause stems from a tax dispute involving Hamas and local merchants.
COGAT declared that no commercial goods have crossed into Gaza for two days, attributing the stoppage to a disagreement over a 10,000 shekel fee and a 30 percent cash-sale demand that Hamas allegedly imposed on each truck. Gaza’s media office countered, labeling the claim a false narrative and explaining that the fee funds aid for widows and orphans and that cash payments are encouraged but not mandatory. The pause affects fruit, winter clothing and other perishables that complement humanitarian aid, raising concerns about price stability and food security for the 2.1 million inhabitants.
Norwegian Refugee Council spokesperson Shaina Low emphasized that humanitarian aid alone cannot meet needs without a functioning market. Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza’s private truckers union, blamed Israel for the restrictions, saying the fee issue is being used as a pretext. The halt comes as a global hunger monitor warned that most of Gaza could face acute hunger before year-end, and it occurs under a U.S.-mediated agreement that obliges Israel to allow at least 600 trucks daily, a target far from current levels.
Why it matters
The suspension cuts a vital supply line for Gaza’s starving population during a looming winter.
How the sides frame it
HIGH AGREEMENTAll camps report that commercial goods into Gaza have stopped because of a dispute over a Hamas-imposed fee, but they differ in how they portray the cause and responsibility.
CENTER
Frames the halt as a tax dispute with Hamas coercion, citing COGAT’s statement and emphasizing the broader humanitarian crisis.
RIGHT
Frames the halt as Hamas taxing and threatening merchants, presenting Israel’s claim that the suspension follows reports of Hamas coercion and accusing Israel of a disinformation campaign.
The right emphasises
- taxed, threatened
- suspension... as a result of reports of threats and coercion by Hamas
- disinformation campaign
How this story developed
- Sep 17 Gaza families face new evacuations and food shortages a year after ceasefire
- Sep 28 A six‑storey apartment block collapsed, killing 21 people and prompting a lengthy rescue effort.
- Oct 6 Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, has asked Mayor Zohran Mamdadi to attend a screening of an IDF-produced film about the Oct. 7 Hamas assault.
- Oct 8 Israel’s ambassador issued a public rebuke of the mayor’s remarks while his son was in intensive care.
- Oct 9 Mayor Mamdani was booed at a Union Square vigil and confronted by anti‑Israel demonstrators at a city memorial.
- Oct 10 Israeli forces issued new evacuation orders for multiple Gaza neighborhoods.
- Oct 11 Naza, the second Gaza-focused film by directors Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, is being shown in 84 Dutch cinemas, including Pathé venues that rarely screen documentaries. Audience reactions are described as silent and intense, with many viewers left visibly shaken. The film has sparked protests by pro-Israeli groups in Amsterdam and Delft, while Israeli leaders have condemned it as betrayal. Distributors report no disruptions to screenings in the Netherlands or Belgium.
- Oct 12 The Israeli military issued a statement rejecting the documentary’s depiction of targeting procedures.
- Oct 12 A Gaza resident died of liver cancer after prolonged delays in medical evacuation.
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