August 22, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeAugust 22, 20266 minutes agoSmuggling boom in Gaza fuels black market for goods banned by Israel Palestinians in Gaza are paying soaring prices for basic goods, while hospitals and businesses have increasingly turned to smugglers to obtain medicine, fuel, equipment and other supplies banned or restricted by Israel, according to an Associated Press investigation.A Palestinian vendor offers bottles of diesel for sale in al-Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Saturday. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP A Palestinian vendor offers bottles of diesel for sale in al-Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Saturday. Credit: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP The investigation, based on Israeli court documents and interviews with five major traders involved in smuggling, three merchants, two truck drivers, Palestinian officials, United Nations personnel and Gaza residents, found that a sprawling underground economy has expanded during the war, generating millions of dollars in profits for networks on both sides of the Gaza border.Smugglers, Israeli soldiers, Palestinian intermediaries and Hamas authorities have all benefited from a trade that has grown around Israel's restrictions on goods entering Gaza, while residents pay soaring prices for basic necessities.Cigarettes and tobacco products, which Israel has prohibited from entering Gaza since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, have become among the most lucrative items. But smugglers also bring in a wide range of other goods, including smartphones, solar panels, fuel, medical supplies and anesthetics.Smuggling attempt at the Lachinsh Crossing: thousands of cigarettes were found concealed inside hundreds of pineapples meant to reach Gaza today, hidden inside a shipment of aid from the private sector.