Gaza's Government Media Office denies imposing taxes or fees on commercial trucks
Government Media Office (Gaza)Press office of Gaza's Hamas-run government, in a statement on its Telegram channel
Gaza's Government Media Office denies that the government imposes any taxes or fees on commercial trucks, rejecting COGAT's account of why commercial shipments into Gaza stopped.
Responding to
Gaza's government has imposed no taxes or fees on commercial trucks, and the 10,000-shekel payment is part of a voluntary community initiative that funds aid for vulnerable groups.
“We categorically deny the imposition of any government taxes or fees on commercial trucks. (Translated from Arabic. Original: ننفي نفياً قاطعاً فرض أي ضرائب أو رسوم حكومية على الشاحنات التجارية.)”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Israel says commercial goods stopped entering Gaza over Hamas truck fees; Gaza's government denies imposing them
Israel's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said on October 14, 2026 that commercial goods had stopped entering the Gaza Strip because Gaza merchants had suspended the coordination of their trucks. COGAT said the merchants told it that Hamas demanded about 10,000 shekels per truck and that about 30 percent of goods be sold in cash, and that Hamas threatened merchants who refused. Gaza's Government Media Office denied imposing any taxes or fees on commercial trucks and said the 10,000 shekels was part of a voluntary community initiative that funds aid for orphans, widows and other vulnerable groups. The head of Gaza's private truckers union told the Associated Press that Israel, not the merchants, had imposed the restrictions. On October 19, COGAT said coordination would resume gradually after merchants reported that Hamas had withdrawn the demands.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Arabic-language statement from the Gaza Government Media Office, dated Thursday, October 15, 2026, rejecting COGAT's account of truck fees and cash rules, posted on its Telegram channel in two parts.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The statement says COGAT is spreading false claims about payments forced on merchants in order to blame Gaza's government for the disruption of truck entry, and that the office has written about it to the mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey and to UN and other international officials.
After the quotation
The statement says the office has not collected taxes or fees on commercial activity for three years, and that the 10,000 shekels COGAT cites belongs to a voluntary community initiative whose funds go to orphans, widows, children, students in need and relief projects. It says the 30 percent cash rule was agreed with the chamber of commerce to address a shortage of cash.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the payment of about 10,000 shekels per truck that Gaza's Hamas-run authorities sought from merchants bringing commercial goods into Gaza, which Israel cites for the October 2026 halt in commercial shipments. The office denies that the payment is a government tax or fee and calls it a voluntary contribution, disputing COGAT's description of the payment.
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- People and groups discussed
- Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
More from this case
Read the full caseCOGAT says merchants suspended shipments over Hamas's forced taxation and threats
Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories
“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.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Gaza's Government Media Office denies imposing taxes or fees on commercial trucks". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6420-gaza-s-government-media-office-denies-that-the