Israel said blocking US firm from breaking ground on Gaza base for international force

COGAT, the Israeli military body overseeing humanitarian affairs in Gaza, announced Wednesday that commercial goods are no longer entering the territory. According to Al-Monitor and RTE News, Israel attributed the stoppage to a dispute over taxes between local merchants and Hamas, noting that Gazan merchants decided to stop coordinating with COGAT on the entry of goods.

While COGAT claims Palestinian merchants halted coordination due to intimidation by Hamas, The Times of Israel reports that the Gaza truckers union says Israel made the decision.

Separately, an Israeli air strike targeted a residential house in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza. Middle East Eye reports that the strike caused extensive damage to neighboring homes, though the number of casualties has not yet been determined.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, Middle East Eye, RTE News, The Times of Israel — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.