Israel prevented commercial goods from entering Gaza. Hamas denies the tax claims

Stopping commercial shipments, including fruit and winter clothing, cuts off a key source of vital resources.

Citing what they claim is a tax dispute between local merchants and Hamas, Israeli officials say no commercial goods have entered Gaza for two days.

COGAT, or the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli military body that oversees humanitarian affairs in Gaza, announced on Wednesday that the organization would be suspended.

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The end of COGAT's list claimed that local merchants "made the decision in response to a 10,000 shekel ($3,220) fee imposed by Hamas on each truck entering Gaza, as well as a request to make 30 percent of all sales in Gaza in cash."

The decision is expected to affect a vital source of food and goods for the 2.1 million people in the Strip who rely entirely on Israeli border crossings in a land still suffering from famine.

Gaza's state media office denied the claims on Thursday and condemned the "campaign of disinformation and false statements."

The media office instead said it was an attempt to "hold the government apparatus in Gaza responsible for disrupting the entry of trucks" and that the fee was a voluntary payment to a fund that helps people in need, such as widows and orphans.

It also said that cash payments were encouraged because of what was described as an acute shortage of cash in the war-torn territory, but it was never a mandatory requirement.

Halting commercial shipments, including fruit and winter clothing, cuts off a key source of food and other vital resources, as concerns grow ahead of winter.

According to data released earlier this year by COGAT, aid groups generally import basic materials such as flour, while traders import more perishable foods such as fruits and meat.

The suspension raises concerns about affordability, and aid workers say a combination of aid and a strong trade market is needed to keep prices under control.

"The humanitarian sector alone cannot meet the needs of all the people," said Shayna Lowe, spokeswoman for the Norwegian Refugee Council. "Markets must work."

Nahid Shahibar, head of the Gaza Private Truckers Union, denied Israel's narrative and said: "The Israeli coordinator claims that Gazan businessmen are responsible, but the truth is that it is the Israelis who imposed the restrictions."

After COGAT's announcement, Shaheber Union met with Gaza's Ministry of Economy to express its concern and to state that Israel is citing the ministry's expenses as an excuse to cut off commercial goods.

A global hunger monitor warned in July that more than two-thirds of Gazans could face severe hunger by the end of the year.

Israel is required under a US-brokered agreement to allow at least 600 trucks of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza each day.

Diplomats say that typically fewer than 600 trucks enter Gaza per day. Shahibar said that this figure is close to 300 people, two-thirds of whom carry commercial goods.