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Smuggling in Gaza: How Banned Goods Make It Across the Border and Millions of Dollars Change Hands
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 150 broad categories of items as 'dual use,' which pushes merchants toward smuggling networks to meet civilian demand.
- Residents face exorbitant prices, with vehicle batteries costing more than $2,300, while traders use 'coordinators'—Israeli and Palestinian middlemen—to arrange smuggling routes and pay bribes to soldiers.
- The Hamas-led government collects up to 80% of unreported smuggled goods' price, though official Ismail al-Thawabta said funds support public services, not the military wing.
- Israeli authorities have indicted more than a dozen people, including reserve soldiers, since late 2025 for operating smuggling rings, while the military stated it takes the issue 'very seriously and works to prevent it.
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18 Articles
18 Articles
Associated Press News+17 Reposted by 17 other sources
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.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources18
Leaning Left10Leaning Right2Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Left
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources lean Left
56% Left
L 56%
C 33%
11%
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