Hamas payment demands prompt Gaza traders to suspend deliveries, COGAT says
Israeli body says merchants report threats and demands for NIS 10,000 per truck, raising concerns over disruptions to goods and drinking water supplies
Hamas is demanding payments from private traders bringing goods into the Gaza Strip, prompting merchants to suspend delivery coordination, according to Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT).
In a letter sent to international officials on Wednesday, COGAT chief Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevi said merchants had reported demands of around NIS 10,000 (approximately $3,260) per truck.
According to the accounts cited by COGAT, Hamas has threatened traders who refuse to pay and is requiring roughly 30% of goods to be sold for cash to gain control over the proceeds.
COGAT said the practice violates the conditions governing authorized merchants, who are required to conduct transactions through bank transfers.
Private traders account for about half of the trucks entering Gaza each week. COGAT said the merchants had suspended coordination of their deliveries until further notice because of Hamas’s demands.
The suspension could disrupt supplies entering the enclave, where the ceasefire agreement sets a target of 600 trucks a day.
COGAT also said the payment demands extend to secondary traders and could soon affect drinking water supplies. Its allegations are based on reports from merchants.