Israel permitting Gaza traders to import goods, bypassing aid groups and deepening inequality

The Israeli army has pursued a discriminatory policy in allowing goods to enter the Gaza Strip by permitting local traders to import supplies while stopping aid groups from doing the same, a report by The Guardian has said.

This has created a parallel system of oversight outside the official humanitarian framework, as the population of Gaza suffers from poverty, malnutrition, and cold as a result of Israel's genocidal war and ongoing siege.

Under an October ceasefire deal, aid was supposed to enter Gaza in quantities sufficient to the meet the needs of its over 2 million inhabitants, nearly all of whom have been displaced.

But Israel has continued to obstruct the entry of humanitarian relief, with reports that it has allowed only some traders to import goods, creating monopolies and entrenching inequality in the territory.

According to The Guardian, Israel places a wide range of essential, life-saving items on a lengthy list of prohibited goods, including electricity generators and metal tent poles.

The Israeli government justifies these restrictions by claiming that such supplies could be used by Hamas or other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza.

But despite Israel’s justifications that these supplies could be redirected to Hamas or other groups, traders in Gaza have still been allowed to import these same goods, suggesting an alternative network where these essentials are falling into the hands of a select few.

The Guardian reported that for at least a month, traders have been allowed to import a number of these same materials – including electricity generators and metal platforms that are more resilient in harsh winter conditions than wooden ones – through commercial channels.

According to military, diplomatic, and humanitarian sources, these materials have become available for sale in markets inside Gaza after passing through three heavily monitored Israeli checkpoints – the same crossings through which humanitarian organisations are barred from bringing such items.

 A diplomatic source told The Guardian that it is hard to believe that Israeli authorities are unaware that these items exist inside Gaza, describing the decision to allow their entry through commercial channels as shocking, given the restrictions imposed on humanitarian work.

The newspaper reported that US officials compiled a list of at least a dozen essential humanitarian items they called for to be removed from the banned list, with tent poles topping the list.

Despite this request, Israel has not lifted the ban.

These restrictions have been highly profitable for both Israeli and Palestinian traders over the years, with goods being sold at extremely high prices inside Gaza.

Harsh winter conditions have battered tent cities for the displaced in recent weeks and resulted in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians, including infants.

More than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal, two-year war on Gaza. At least 418 were killed after the ceasefire, which Israel violates on a near-daily basis, began 12 weeks ago.

Reopening Rafah crossing

Major land crossings into the Gaza Strip remain closed for the entry of aid, in particular the Rafah crossing with Egypt. The border point has only been open to allow Palestinians to exit Gaza, stoking fears of permanent displacement.

But Israeli media reports said earlier this week that Israel is preparing to reopen the Rafah crossing in both directions after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns from a visit to the US, where he met with President Donald Trump.

Israel’s Kan 11 news reported on Wednesday that the expected decision comes as a result of pressure from Trump.

The broadcaster said discussions about reopening the crossing in both directions had been held before Netanyahu met with Trump in the US, but the move was postponed.

The announcement about reopening the border point could take place in the coming days, Kan quoted an unnamed US source as saying.