An opaque operation transporting goods in critically short supply into Gaza is generating millions of dollars on the black market and pricing the majority of civilians out of life-saving equipment, raising alarm among officials working on the Strip’s reconstruction.
Reports say lorries with Israeli number plates are entering Gaza as part of a process co-ordinated with Israel’s military.
The operation costs a small number of Israeli-approved Gazan importers millions of dollars per lorry in “co-ordination fees”, according to traders in the Gaza Strip who talked to The National and an assessment presented to foreign officials by the Gaza Chamber of Commerce at the Civilian Military Co-ordination Centre (CMCC), a multinational body set up to monitor October’s ceasefire agreement.
The fees are so high because the shipments are of goods that Israel typically labels “dual use” – a category that requires special approval to import, on the grounds that the items could be used for military purposes.
Continue Reading on The National UAE
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.