Hamas extortion racket forces Gaza merchants to halt shipments, threatening aid targets

Terror group demanding thousands of dollars for every truck carrying commercial goods into the Gaza Strip and a cut of all sales, using the money to fund the rebuilding of the group’s military capabilities.

By World Israel News Staff

Private merchants in the Gaza Strip have suspended shipments of goods into the territory after Hamas demanded thousands of shekels per truck and threatened traders who refused to pay, Israeli officials revealed Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Yoram Halevi, head of Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), detailed the extortion scheme in a letter to senior international officials, warning that Hamas was exploiting commercial imports to strengthen its economic and military capabilities.

According to information provided by Gaza merchants, Hamas has been demanding approximately NIS 10,000 ($3,260) for every truck carrying commercial goods into the Strip.

The terrorist organization has also reportedly ordered merchants to conduct at least 30% of their sales in cash, apparently to gain control over the proceeds.

The demand directly contradicts conditions imposed on authorized merchants, who are required to conduct transactions exclusively through bank transfers.

Israeli officials said Hamas had extended its collection scheme to secondary merchants and was preparing to impose similar demands on drinking water supplies.

The dispute escalated Tuesday when Hamas security personnel reportedly arrested the son of a merchant who had refused to comply with the organization’s demands. The son was subsequently transferred to Abbas Prison.

Following the arrest, merchants announced that they would suspend coordination of incoming shipments beginning Wednesday, citing fears for their lives and the safety of their families.

The suspension threatens to significantly reduce the volume of goods entering Gaza. According to COGAT, private merchants currently account for approximately half of all trucks entering the Strip each week.

Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel is expected to facilitate the entry of approximately 600 trucks daily. The withdrawal of private merchants could make that target difficult to achieve.

Halevi warned that Hamas could exploit the resulting reduction in shipments to accuse Israel of violating the ceasefire and deliberately creating shortages, despite the terrorist organization’s role in disrupting commercial deliveries.

“We strongly condemn Hamas’s exploitation of the goods-entry mechanism to strengthen its economic and military capabilities,” Halevi wrote.

He called on the international community to “take immediate action” to prevent Hamas from interfering with the supply system.

The letter was addressed to Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace’s senior representative for Gaza; Maj. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, commander of the International Stabilization Force; and Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the region.

Despite the commercial disruption, Israeli officials said humanitarian deliveries would continue through the UN, international aid organizations and donor countries, including shipments of equipment and supplies ahead of winter.

COGAT maintained that approximately 250 trucks per day carrying supplies through humanitarian organizations would be sufficient to meet Gaza’s humanitarian needs, citing assessments it said were supported by international experts.

Israeli officials emphasized that responsibility for the interruption in commercial shipments rested with Hamas and urged international authorities to intervene to prevent the terrorist organization from exploiting the flow of goods into Gaza to rebuild its financial and military strength.