Israel is operating a two-tier system for shipments entering Gaza, permitting commercial traders to import goods that are strictly prohibited for humanitarian aid organisations, an investigation has revealed.
A Tale of Two Systems: Aid Blocked, Commerce Flourishes
Basic, life-saving supplies, including generators and metal tent poles, remain on a lengthy Israeli blacklist of so-called ‘dual-use’ items. The Israeli government insists these items must be severely restricted because Hamas or other armed groups could exploit them for military purposes.
However, for at least the past month, Israeli authorities have allowed Palestinian and Israeli businesses to transport these very same dual-use items into the besieged territory. These goods, which include generators and durable metal pallets for winter conditions, are now being sold on the open market in Gaza, according to military, diplomatic, and humanitarian sources familiar with the matter.
All shipments must pass through the same three tightly controlled Israeli checkpoints that currently bar aid organisations from bringing in these restricted goods. “It seems highly improbable that the Israelis don’t know about them,” one diplomatic source stated. “It’s very shocking that these things are able to enter through commercial channels.”
Humanitarian Work Undermined, Lucrative Trade Thrives
This disparity critically limits the work of humanitarian organisations supporting Palestinians during a period of desperate need, while simultaneously creating lucrative opportunities for commercial traders who can secure the necessary import permits from Israeli authorities.
Tania Hary, executive director of the Israeli human rights group Gisha, which has monitored Gaza access for two decades, said this practice aligns with a long-standing Israeli policy. “On the surface the private sector [shipments] can appear to be very confusing and an inconsistency,” she noted. “But I see it as very consistent with their policy of trying to strengthen the hand of certain actors and weaken the hand of others.”
The controls, she argued, do not reflect “the inherent risk or danger of the item itself”, but rather ask: “whose hands is it in? Where is it? How is it being used?”
Sam Rose, the acting director for Gaza at UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, confirmed the situation. “The only way to get a generator right now is on the private sector,” he said. “There’s a mark up on that.” He suggested a network of business interests, including Israeli, Egyptian, and Palestinian entities, alongside “criminal elements”, were profiting from an illegal economy, though he had no confirmation of Hamas taking a cut.
Bureaucratic Obstacles and Deepening Crisis
The dual-use list is sweeping in scope and has long been a point of contention. Older versions obtained by Gisha include broad categories like “communications equipment”. In recent years, items barred on dual-use grounds have included solar panels, crutches, wheelchairs, and walkers.
This is not the only bureaucratic hurdle. Israel also bans items it deems non-essential, such as paper and pencils to restart education for 600,000 children, and frozen beef and mutton, limiting aid groups to chicken while commercial traders import all meats.
The policy has direct, severe consequences. Shelter is a critical need as winter sets in, with Israeli attacks having destroyed nine out of ten Palestinian homes. Yet, metal poles needed for sturdy winter tents are deemed dual-use. The UN reported at least three children killed by hypothermia this month alone.
While food shipments have increased enough to stave off a formal famine, UN-backed experts warn about 1.6 million people will face “crisis” levels of hunger in the next four months, with famine a risk if hostilities escalate.
International Pressure and Stalled Reforms
The issue has caused friction even with Israel’s allies. US forces deployed to a new Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) in southern Israel to facilitate aid were reportedly surprised to find the biggest challenge was political. They clashed with Israeli counterparts over restrictions, quickly drawing up a list of a dozen key items, including tent poles, they wanted removed from the dual-use list. Weeks later, Israel has not lifted restrictions on any of them.
“It is clearly not security interests that are driving decision-making here,” said one western source. “The dual-use list is just another way to control what enters Gaza.”
In a statement, Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry unit controlling Gaza access, denied “preventing or delaying” aid or applying looser rules for traders, saying policy is implemented “in a uniform manner”. It claimed Israel offers international organisations “alternatives” for dual-use items and that medical aid groups had been given permits for generators “over the last month”.
The crisis is set to worsen. Israel this week told 37 NGOs operating in Gaza they must cease work within 60 days unless they hand over detailed information on Palestinian staff, a move the EU warned would have “catastrophic consequences”.
“The reality is that the commercial sector can bring in what it wants [now],” concluded UNRWA’s Sam Rose. “So we have a two-tier system, which is undermining the UN-led system, which Israel is required to support as per international law.”
