AP Finds Gaza Smuggling Networks Profit From Banned Goods and Bribes
Smuggling rings and middlemen move banned goods into Gaza, with traders and officials saying bribes and government cuts can reach 80% of value.
- An Associated Press investigation reveals smuggling networks profiting from Israeli restrictions on Gaza, with traders, drivers, and soldiers accused of pocketing millions of dollars as illicit goods enter the territory.
- Israel tightly controls entry into the Gaza Strip, classifying some 150 categories of items as 'dual use,' which pushes merchants toward smuggling networks to meet demand.
- Residents face exorbitant prices, with vehicle batteries costing more than $2,300, while traders use 'coordinators'—Israeli and Palestinian middlemen—to arrange routes and pay bribes to soldiers.
- The Hamas-led government collects up to 80% of the price of unreported smuggled goods, though media official Ismail al-Thawabta said funds support public services, not military operations.
- Since late 2025, Israeli authorities have indicted more than a dozen people, including reserve soldiers, for operating smuggling rings, while the military stated it takes the issue 'very seriously and works to prevent it.
44 Articles
44 Articles
Smuggling boom in Gaza fuels black market for goods banned by Israel
Traders, officials and residents describe a shadow economy supplying everything from cigarettes to medical equipment, with allegations that Israeli soldiers and Hamas authorities profit from the trade
Ottumwa Courier
Prices soar as Gaza smuggling booms. Officials, soldiers and middlemen are accused of cashing in
The smuggling of goods restricted by Israel into Gaza has boomed. Items from cigarettes and iPhones to fuel and solar panels make their way to the territory devastated by war. Palestinians face inflated prices for groceries and batteries. Hospitals turn…
Smuggling goods into Gaza booms as Israeli curbs drive prices
Gaza Strip: Palestinians face inflated prices for groceries and batteries, hospitals have turned to smugglers for medicine and equipment, and Israeli soldiers and other middlemen are accused of pocketing millions of dollars as the smuggling of goods restricted by Israel into the Gaza Strip has boomed, according to an Associated Press investigation based on court documents and interviews with traders, truckers and officials. Cigarettes and tobacc…
Associated Press News
AP investigation shows how banned goods are smuggled into Gaza and millions of dollars change hands
The smuggling of goods restricted by Israel into Gaza has boomed. Items from cigarettes and iPhones to fuel and solar panels make their way to the territory devastated by war.
Palestinians face inflated prices in groceries and batteries. Hospitals have resorted to smugglers to get medicines and health equipment. And Israeli soldiers and other intermediaries are accused of pocketing millions of dollars, while the smuggling of goods restricted by Israel into the Gaza Strip has skyrocketed, according to an Associated Press investigation based on court documents and interviews with traders, truckers and officials.
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