COGAT continues to coordinate the entry of essential equipment into the Gaza Strip as it ramps up efforts to bring in winterization equipment, in coordination with the international community. Last week, among other items, the following equipment entered under the safety mechanism in collaboration with the international community: ⛺️ Entry of more than 8,000 tents 🧤 Entry of more than 250 trucks carrying winter equipment 🔧 Maintenance of water and power lines and sewage drainage from displaced persons camps 🏥 Approval of 3 mobile clinics for IMC 💉 Approval of 7,500 tetanus vaccine doses Together with UN agencies, international organizations, and donor countries, Israel will continue to facilitate the entry of essential equipment into the Gaza Strip while maintaining necessary safety measures. Humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip, preparing the Gazan civilian population for winter and supporting local WASH and medical efforts.

Contrary to recent reports echoed by Hamas, Israel did not initiate the suspension of private-sector operations for the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip. As previously communicated by COGAT, in recent days, private-sector merchants informed COGAT that, due to Hamas’s forced taxation mechanism and threats against merchants who refuse to comply with its demands, they had decided to suspend the coordination of trucks carrying goods into the Gaza Strip until further notice, out of genuine fear for their lives and safety. According to reports received from the merchants, Hamas demands approximately 10,000 NIS for every truck carrying goods into Gaza and requires merchants to sell approximately 30% of their goods in cash, in an effort to gain control over the proceeds. It was also reported that Hamas security personnel arrested the son of one of the merchants and transferred him to Abbas Prison after his father refused to comply with the organization’s taxation demands. This incident, along with the threats and pressure exerted on the merchants, led them to suspend coordination activities out of fear for their lives. It should be emphasized that humanitarian aid continues to enter the Gaza Strip through the UN, international organizations, and donor countries. According to COGAT’s assessments, based on UN reports and evaluations by experts from the international community, the volume of aid entering through these channels is sufficient to adequately meet the needs of the population in Gaza, even without private-sector operations.