GAZA — Many goods, particularly vegetables, have seen unprecedented price increases in Gaza, making it difficult for most households suffering from war-related hardships to obtain them, according to Al-Ghad.
اضافة اعلان
Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper visited numerous markets in Rafah, the Strip's main city after more than a million displaced people sought safety there.
Rise in inflationThe publication reported that the price of onions had increased significantly. Currently, 1kg of onions costs 35 shekels ($9.49) in markets, with a minor increase in price if the onions are of higher grade. Originally, 3kg of onions in the winter season would cost 10 shekels ($2.71).
Lemons are also among the produce that have seen an increase in inflation, now costing 20-25 shekels ($5.4-6.78). Lemons were historically offered during the winter season for around two shekels ($0.54), or less in some situations.
Potatoes cost approximately eight shekels ($2.17) per kilogram. Previously, when potatoes were plentiful in the winter, 1kg was sold for only one shekel ($0.27).
This also applied to the price of pepper, which is currently priced at 32 shekels ($8.68) for a kilogram of spicy peppers, or 12 shekels ($3.26) for a kilogram of sweet peppers.
The price of a small bundle of spinach was recorded at 10 shekels ($2.71). Previously, a bundle more than three times its size was sold for two shekels ($0.54) during the winter months.
Cauliflower and green cabbage costs increased significantly, reaching more than 15 shekels ($4.07), if accessible at all. Previously, their price was roughly three shekels ($0.81).
According to Gaza City residents' accounts, a 25kg bag of flour costs more than 700 shekels ($189.88) in shops due to the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) prevention of adequate shipments of basic goods to access those locations. Flour is currently sold for 60 shekels ($16.28) in the middle and southern sections of the Strip that allow aid convoys to pass through.
Due to a lack of flour, Gaza residents turned to corn and converted it into flour. Citizens also rely on rice meals, which are now priced at around 20 shekels ($5.43).
Gazan testimonies
During a market trip, Al-Quds Al-Arabi discovered that onions, lemons, and peppers are in low supply, while potatoes and tomatoes are available at a somewhat higher price than they were at this time of the season.
The publication reported that Palestinians bought less than half a kilogram of onions. One of the women standing in front of a vegetable booth stated that she was compelled to purchase a modest quantity for only 10 shekels ($2.71) to pair with canned meat in one of the meals she will prepare for her family.
"I did not find anything cheaper than this dish for my children," she told the newspaper. She explained that her family received the canned meat in a food parcel from one of the charitable groups because they are war-displaced families.
This forty-year-old woman, like others, grumbled about the hardness of life and the high prices, stating, "Every time we think there is hope for prices to drop, we are surprised by large increases that affect basic things."
She went on to claim that her nine-year-old had asked her to have spinach stew with beef, a meal the family regularly prepares in the winter, but she was unable to accommodate his request.
"The dish needs a kilogram of meat on the minimum, 2kg of spinach, and a large quantity of onions," she went on to say. "The total cost of the dish exceeds 150 shekels ($40.69)," implying that cooking it previously was significantly less expensive.
With the price increases, a kilogram of beef now costs 100 shekels ($27.13), which is over three times its regular price, while a kilogram of frozen beef costs 70 shekels ($19), which is slightly more than 20 shekels ($5.43) more than it did before the war. During this time, chicken meat has virtually disappeared from the market.
Maher Abu Jabber, who was carrying a few tomatoes in his hand while strolling among vegetable stalls and shops, says that the prices of vegetables exceed his financial ability to purchase them, forcing him and his family to continue eating canned food, which he claims has upset his children's stomachs.
He points out that his acquaintances in European countries confirmed to him during an online conversation that the costs of most commodities in the Strip exceed what is sold in the world's wealthiest countries, saying, "Even in America and Europe, the price is lower than ours."
Abdul Rahman Khudair, the owner of a vegetable kiosk in the Tal Al-Sultan neighborhood market, informed Al-Quds Al-Arabi that some clients purchased only one onion to cook with. He also mentioned that some consumers chose not to buy when they knew the price.
Reasons for the price hike
Amidst customer dissatisfaction with the price hikes and residents' complaints about the lack of adequate market control by official authorities, a young man claims that vegetable sellers have nothing to do with the price increase and that they buy these quantities from large traders.
He reminds out that the quantity of available supply and consumer demand determine the price, implying that the wholesale market that buys their quantities from them, like other retailers, does not have an abundance of many veggies, particularly onions.
Al-Quds Al-Arabi inquired about the increase in vegetable prices with one of the market's merchants, who stated that the lack of large quantities is due to war conditions, in which agricultural lands located relatively far from military operations and shelling areas are no longer able to provide the required quantities.
He stated that vegetables are only brought from lands located west and central of Deir Al-Balah city, as well as west of Khan Yunis and Rafah cities, implying that the eastern areas of Khan Yunis and Rafah cities, which are considered a primary source of food for Strip residents, are currently inaccessible due to the IOF's military ground operations.
The IOF has prohibited the delivery of vegetables from Gaza City and its north, which are also experiencing a serious scarcity due to farmers' inability to reach their fields, where IOF military vehicles are stationed. This has resulted in a dramatic surge in the pricing of vegetables and other items.
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