Israel says to end Gaza-bound UNICEF aid shipments from Egypt due to 'smuggling'

Israel said it would halt UN children's fund shipments to Gaza from Egypt after it said it had foiled an attempt to smuggle tobacco and nicotine in UNICEF-coordinated shipments Tuesday.

Israel "informed the head of UNICEF of the suspension of aid shipments to the Gaza Strip originating from Egypt and coordinated by the agency, following the thwarting of an attempted smuggling of tobacco and nicotine products detected today at the Kerem Shalom Crossing within humanitarian aid shipments coordinated by the agency," said COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories.

COGAT added that the suspension would remain in place "until the agency provides the findings of a full investigation, as well as an official response on the matter".

COGAT added that "bottles containing nicotine substances were found concealed inside cartons of hygiene kits", during an inspection, the agency said, in a statement that included a photo of some of the seized items.

The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said Tuesday that the Kerem Shalom crossing was currently the only entry point for humanitarian aid and commercial goods going to the Gaza Strip.

"Inside Gaza, yesterday, the UN and our partners were able to collect food, hygiene kits, early childhood development kits, medicine, and animal fodder from Kerem Shalom, but more crossings must be opened to scale up the response", it said in a statement.

Under the terms of a US-brokered October 2025 ceasefire deal, Israel remains in control of nearly half of the Gaza Strip, including all its border areas.

It has imposed a drastic blockade after the start of the war with Hamas in October 2023, prompting frequent calls for more aid trucks to be allowed into the tiny Palestinian territory from UN agencies and international NGOs.