Israeli officials at COGAT report the disruption began when merchants independently halted truck coordination due to forced taxation and threats by Hamas. According to these reports, the group demanded 10,000 shekels per truck and required 30% of sales be paid in cash to control proceeds. While Israel denies initiating the suspension, officials note no commercial goods have entered for two days, citing reports that Hamas detained the son of a merchant who refused to pay.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Hamas Accuses Trump's Board of Peace of Bias Over Gaza Goods Halt
Geopolitics4 days ago
Private sector merchants have ceased coordinating shipments of food and shelter into the Gaza Strip, leaving 2.1 million people without essential supplies as winter approaches. The militant group Hamas has since accused Trump's Board of Peace of acting with "blatant bias and complicity" after its high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, cited Israeli government reports to blame Hamas extortion for the stoppage. Both sides are now openly trading blame for obstructing the delivery of essential goods to the territory.
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