UN warns Gaza's malnutrition gains are fragile after Israel halts commercial goods as winter approaches

COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing Gaza's humanitarian affairs, claims local merchants asked for the halt because Hamas was taxing and threatening their trucks. The head of Gaza's private truckers' union denies this and blames Israel. The sealed-off territory relies entirely on goods Israel lets through its border crossings. Aid workers warn prices could spiral without a working market.

Famine was declared in Gaza in August 2025, and conditions remain at crisis levels.

'The markets need to be functioning,' says Shaina Low of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Israel has long accused Hamas of imposing charges on incoming goods to finance its activities.