Humanitarian aid convoys in Gaza are facing a troubling new challenge: organized crowds attacking the shipments, not for essential supplies, but for cigarettes smuggled inside. In the tightly blockaded region, cigarettes have become scarce and now sell for $25 to $30 each. According to U.N. and Israeli officials, these attacks by profit-seeking groups are significantly hindering the delivery of crucial aid to southern Gaza.
Despite stringent Israeli inspections at checkpoints, smuggled cigarettes have been making their way into Gaza hidden in aid trucks, mainly via the Kerem Shalom crossing. Smugglers in Egypt have concealed them within sacks of U.N.-donated flour, diapers, and even watermelons, as reported by aid agencies and an Israeli military official.
Upon entering Gaza, the trucks are frequently ambushed by armed Palestinians looking for the hidden cigarettes. Andrea De Domenico of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Jerusalem confirmed incidents of U.N.-branded cartons containing cigarettes, noting that this has sparked a “new dynamic” of organized attacks on aid convoys.
Israel’s near-total control over goods entering Gaza amid ongoing conflict has distorted the local economy. Flour prices have dropped due to ample supply, while other less frequently imported items remain expensive. Mr. De Domenico showed footage of discarded flour bags along Gaza’s roadways, highlighting that looters ignored the flour in their search for cigarettes.
Officials believe most cigarette-laden trucks come from Egypt, rerouted through Kerem Shalom after Israel took the Rafah border crossing. Palestinian trucking company owner Manhal Shaibar blamed the smuggling on Bedouin families with ties to both Gaza and the Egyptian Sinai.
The chaos in Gaza, exacerbated by Israel’s offensive against Hamas without establishing a new government, has fueled this trend of looting, reflecting the widespread lawlessness gripping the region.
Original Story https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/09/world/middleeast/gaza-aid-cigarette-smuggling.html
Category : Israel-Gaza War (2023- ),Gaza Strip,Palestinians,Smuggling,Smoking and Tobacco,Humanitarian Aid,United Nations,Israel
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