Updated

Israel halted commercial shipments of goods, including fruit and winter clothing, into Gaza, citing anger among merchants over alleged Hamas taxation of trucks entering the Strip. Israeli officials said Hamas was demanding roughly NIS 10,000 per truck, a claim Hamas denies, insisting any payment is a 'voluntary community initiative.' The head of a private truckers union disputed Israel's account of the halt, while Gaza's truckers union said the decision to stop shipments was Israel's, not merchants'. The halt cuts off a key source of critical supplies to Gaza residents as winter approaches, adding another layer of friction to the fragile post-conflict arrangements governing aid and commerce into the territory.