Israel said Oct. 19 it would restart commercial deliveries to Gaza in phases, prioritizing essential goods as winter nears and tightening checks on merchant payments after several days without commercial deliveries.
Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military body responsible for humanitarian affairs in Gaza, said merchants told it the 10,000-shekel ($3,225) charge per truck had been dropped. The agency said the merchants’ account had not been independently confirmed.
Merchants must send and receive payments through documented bank transfers. COGAT said merchants found to have paid Hamas could be excluded from the shipment system.
Hamas said the truck charge was a voluntary contribution from wealthier Gazans to a national fund intended for people in need. COGAT said the restart was tied to Israel’s humanitarian commitments under the ceasefire.
The pause covered commercial cargo, separate from humanitarian aid. Reuters reported that most Gaza residents still depend on aid amid strict delivery limits, repeated displacement and three years of war. COGAT said essential goods would receive priority as commercial shipments resume in stages.
