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Hamas Extortion Threatens Gaza Goods Flow · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
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  Speaker 1: In Gaza, a concerning report from World Israel News indicates
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  Speaker 1: that Hamas is actively extorting commercial merchants. The terror group
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  Speaker 1: is demanding approximately 10,000 shekels, about $ 3, 260 US dollars, for
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  Speaker 1: every truck carrying goods into the strip, and reportedly a
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  Speaker 1: 30% cut of sales in cash. These funds are allegedly
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  Speaker 1: being used to rebuild Hamas's military capabilities. Israeli officials, including
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  Speaker 1: Major General Yoram Halevi, head of COGAT, detailed this scheme
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  Speaker 1: in a letter to international officials, warning that Hamas is
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  Speaker 1: exploiting commercial imports. The situation escalated this week when Hamas
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  Speaker 1: reportedly arrested the son of a merchant who refused to comply.
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  Speaker 1: In response, private merchants have announced a suspension of shipments,
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  Speaker 1: fearing for their safety. This suspension threatens to significantly reduce
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  Speaker 1: the volume of goods entering Gaza, as private merchants account
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  Speaker 1: for about half of all weekly truck entries. Major General
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  Speaker 1: Halevy called on the international community to take immediate action
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  Speaker 1: to prevent Hamas from interfering with the supply system. Turning
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  Speaker 1: to Israeli domestic politics, with elections scheduled for October 27,
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  Speaker 1: campaigns are drawing criticism for prioritising divisive tactics over substantive policy. Jpost.com
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  Speaker 1: reports that some campaigns are using inflammatory rhetoric, such as
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  Speaker 1: the Yamin or Falstein slogan, and focusing heavily on past events,
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  Speaker 1: like the October 7 massacre, rather than outlining future plans.
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  Speaker 1: Adding to the political landscape, there are discussions around a
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  Speaker 1: potential military campaign against Iran. The IDF chief of staff,
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  Speaker 1: Lieutenant General Eyal Zamia, has warned that renewed fighting before
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  Speaker 1: the elections could lead to a postponement. This comes amid
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  Speaker 1: reports of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussing potential strikes on
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  Speaker 1: Iran's nuclear and military sites with US President Donald Trump. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: the opposition is leveraging disclosures concerning the lead-up to October 7,
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  Speaker 1: including allegations from Netanyahu's former military secretary. In other campaign news,
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  Speaker 1: The Times of Israel notes pledges from parties like B
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  Speaker 1: Yachad to strengthen Israel-diaspora ties. including proposals to fold the
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: diaspora ministry into the foreign ministry, and to maintain specific
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  Speaker 1: prayer arrangements at the Western Wall. A new report from
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  Speaker 1: the Schorsch Institution for Socioeconomic Research highlights significant economic challenges
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  Speaker 1: facing Israel. Jpost.com reports that Israel's total factor productivity, a
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  Speaker 1: measure of how efficiently an economy uses labour and capital,
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  Speaker 1: has fallen to 15% below the G7 average in 2023.
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  Speaker 1: This is a stark reversal from 1975, when Israel's productivity
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  Speaker 1: was 9% above the G7 average. Prof Dan Ben-David, president
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  Speaker 1: of the Shorsh Institution, attributes this decline to factors including
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  Speaker 1: weak education systems, rapid demographic changes, and a brain drain
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  Speaker 1: of skilled workers. The report warns that the country's success
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  Speaker 1: in high-tech masks a weaker performance in other sectors, leaving
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  Speaker 1: Israel increasingly reliant on a narrow group of skilled workers.
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  Speaker 1: and vulnerable to their departure. Finally, a report revisits an
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  Speaker 1: incident prior to the October 7 events. KAN News, citing sources,
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  Speaker 1: reported that an Egyptian aircraft landed in Israel on September 26, 2023.
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  Speaker 1: While there was suspicion that Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate Director
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  Speaker 1: Abbas Kamel was aboard, KAN stated the passengers were two businessmen.
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  Speaker 1: The report gained attention after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed
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  Speaker 1: an Egyptian aircraft had landed before October 7, but denied
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  Speaker 1: meeting Kemal. However, Netanyahu's statements were contradicted by previous official
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  Speaker 1: statements from his office and footage showing him meeting Kemal
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  Speaker 1: in May 2021. Reports also indicated that Israel's security chiefs
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: were unaware of Kemal's alleged visit at the time. For
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Watch from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockwickmedia.org slash watch.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Ongoing War Report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today
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  Speaker 1: Ongoing War Report in your podcast app so you don't
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for
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  Speaker 1: a comprehensive view.