The Israel Defense Force (IDF) dropped packs of cigarettes on Gaza this week, offering relief for Palestinian smokers — and leaflets urging them to turn against Hamas and its new leader, Yahya Sinwar, who is somewhere underground.
Cigarettes have been in short supply in Gaza since Hamas launched its war on October 7. Though Israel has trucked in massive quantities of aid, more than enough to provide for the daily food needs of every person in the territory, it has not supplied tobacco. Gazans have taken to social media to complain about the price of cigarettes, which has risen to something like $25 per cigarette.
#Rafah, southern #Gaza Strip, today: two "Karelia" cigarettes for NIS 200. pic.twitter.com/HnkVQn2hYL
— Abu Ali Express English (@AbuAliEnglishB1) June 14, 2024
The Jerusalem Post reported:
Attached to the cigarette, various leaflets read, “Smoking is dangerous, but Hamas is more dangerous,” and “Hamas is burning Gaza.” Adjacent to the inscription, the IDF added a contact number to the ‘Influence Department’ for more information.
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The current price of a single cigarette in the Gaza Strip is 27 USD, while packets are sold at 430 USD, N12 noted. This ‘tax’ has helped Hamas continue to fund its own survival throughout the war at the great expense of the Gazan residents.
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According to the official, the intention was to promote defiance and condemnation of the terrorist organization and its lack of ability to create public order. “It is important to emphasize that cigarettes do not enter the strip and that this is a one-time occurrence,” he expressed.
Sinwar recently became the leader of Hamas, after political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, Iran, last week.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
