Commercial goods have ceased entering the Gaza Strip for two days, Israeli authorities confirmed Thursday, a development that immediately raises concerns over the territory’s economic stability and the availability of essential supplies. The halt cuts off a vital channel for food, winter clothing, and other critical provisions, intensifying fears about the procurement of necessities as winter approaches.
The Israeli military body overseeing humanitarian affairs in Gaza, COGAT, attributed the suspension to local merchants, claiming they are refusing to import goods due to taxation and threats from Hamas. However, Palestinian importers vehemently dispute this account, asserting that Israeli authorities are responsible for imposing the restrictions.
Conflicting Accounts on Supply Halt
According to Israeli authorities, no commercial goods have entered Gaza for two consecutive days. Lt. Daniel Kantorovich, deputy spokesperson for COGAT, stated that the agency was prepared to coordinate the entry of trucks as usual but was informed by vendors that they were canceling coordination. Kantorovich explained, ‘The vendors informed us that they were cancelling the coordination due to Hamas’s taxation mechanism and threats against them.’ He added, ‘The merchants don’t want to bring goods into Gaza.’
Israel has consistently accused Hamas, the militant group governing Gaza, of levying fees on imports to fund its operations. COGAT claimed that since merchants alerted Israel on Tuesday, no private-sector vendors had attempted to import goods.
Conversely, Nahed Sheheiber, head of Gaza’s private truckers union, directly challenged Israel’s narrative. ‘The merchants are not the ones who stopped the shipments,’ Sheheiber stated, adding, ‘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. The union expressed concern that Israel was using fees levied by the ministry as a pretext to cut off commercial goods. Sheheiber noted that the ministry had been requesting 10,000 shekels (approximately $3,226) per truck entering Gaza. However, Ministry Undersecretary Khaled Al-Raqab clarified at the meeting that this amount was not a tax but rather a ‘donation’ sought by the ministry to help pay civil servants in the strip.
Market Functionality and Humanitarian Impact
Gaza, a closed-off territory with a population of approximately 2 million people, is entirely dependent on goods that Israel permits through its border crossings. While aid groups typically supply staples like flour, merchants are crucial for importing more perishable items such as fruits and meat, according to data released earlier this year by COGAT.
The suspension of commercial shipments is intensifying fears about affordability and market stability. Humanitarian workers emphasize that a combination of aid and a robust commercial market is essential to maintain price controls. Shaina Low, a spokesperson for the Norwegian Refugee Council, an aid group, underscored this point: ‘The humanitarian sector on its own cannot meet the needs of all the people. The markets need to be functioning.’
Earlier this year, the world’s leading authority on food insecurity reported that while conditions in Gaza had seen some improvement since a famine was declared in the territory in August 2025, they remained at crisis levels. The report highlighted that most families in the war-battered enclave were not receiving nearly enough to eat, cautioning that ‘even small disruptions to humanitarian access could rapidly reverse recent gains.’
Supply Gap and Broader Conflict Context
The current halt exacerbates an existing supply deficit. COGAT estimates that Gaza’s population requires roughly 250 truckloads of goods each day. This figure remains significantly below the minimum of 600 trucks a day stipulated by a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement enacted a year ago.
The broader conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent military response, including a massive bombardment and ground invasion, has resulted in the deaths of more than 74,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. This includes over 1,400 Palestinians killed since the ceasefire took effect, alongside five Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza during the same period. The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records that are generally considered reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though it does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its casualty tolls, noting that women and children constitute around half of the deceased.
The ongoing dispute over commercial shipments underscores the fragile economic conditions in Gaza and the complex interplay between political control, border access, and the daily sustenance of its population. The immediate reduction in supplies, coupled with conflicting claims over responsibility, signals a deepening crisis for the territory’s already vulnerable markets and its residents.
