Israeli occupation authorities have intensified economic measures against the Gaza Strip during the ongoing war, imposing what Palestinian sources describe as “forced arrangements” that have enabled Israel to extract vast sums from Gaza’s economy while deepening humanitarian suffering. According to information obtained by Arabi21 from informed sources, Israeli forces have effectively turned Gaza’s markets and commercial sector into a new arena of pressure, using trade restrictions and financial controls as tools to punish the population and exhaust its remaining resources. The sources said these measures have contributed to financing part of the cost of the war from the pockets of Gaza’s residents themselves. The sources explained that Israeli authorities have restricted the import of goods into Gaza to a very limited number of merchants, allowing only 10 traders to bring in commercial supplies. These arrangements, they said, are carried out through opaque procedures that are not subject to Palestinian oversight and do not involve the Gaza Chamber of Commerce.

