Sky-high food prices throughout Gaza as families look ahead to a challenging Ramadan

As the bombardment of Gaza continues to push up the prices of even basic food items, an Islamic Relief worker* in Gaza reflects on the challenges of feeding his family.

We are still counting the days of this brutal war on Gaza: almost 140 now. We have experienced the worst times of our lives, and every day brings new suffering. This war started very intensely with a large number of deaths and a huge amount of destruction, but still the days pass and each day the number of people killed keeps going up.

Just a couple of days ago an airstrike in my area killed 20 people. I read their names in the news and found that they are from the same family. They were all wiped out. On the humanitarian side, people are still displaced without enough food, water, health care, and shelter.

A couple of days ago, I talked to my friend in the north of Gaza city. I asked about his daughter who is only a year and a half old. Her name is the same as my daughter’s. She has a special place in my heart as her parents could not get pregnant in the early years of their marriage, so I recommended a doctor for them, and this little girl arrived.

He told me she wakes up in the morning and asks for an egg. An egg these days, my dear reader, seems like a dream to us. My friend told me he can’t find a thing for the little girl. He said, “My daughter only eats bread made of animal food. I found it undigested in her diapers”.

Something unimaginable: a man not being able to feed his family. He said, “flour prices are sky high. If I manage to get a bag, it is not safe to bring it home. I might get robbed by people in the street who are desperate for food.” This is not a dystopian film. It really is the case that people are so desperate they might attack each other for food. And the world is still watching on, unable or unwilling to provide assistance. We have lost all faith in this world.

Rising prices

Life is not much different in the middle area and the south of Gaza, where small numbers of assistance trucks are allowed every day. This aid does not reach everyone, it is mostly directed to those staying in United Nations shelters and schools that have become shelters.

Another issue is that the aid is not tailored to meet families’ specific needs. That’s why we see families selling food aid in the market so they can buy something they urgently need, like a jacket, a pair of shoes, toilet paper, or just cash to buy other food like bread.

In the market there are also people who are exploiting others. They get aid at a low price then sell it again for a very high price. It’s possible to do so as the supply is so limited, and the demand is extremely high.
Today as I am writing, we got 1 litre of frying oil for about $5, this is more than double the cost before October for a product that’s heavily used in Palestinian homes. My small family might go through 3 litres a month, while others use 5 or 6. One kilo of sugar is around $20 and the list goes on. A basic meal for a family would cost over $50. We are talking about these prices in the Palestinian society that was already suffering high rates of unemployment and most people living below the poverty line even before October last year.

Preparing for a Ramadan like no other

My mother reminded me that usually at this time we would be preparing for the holy month of Ramadan, including decorating, lighting lamps, and getting Ramadan food items. This year, my mum is concerned about getting our gas cylinders filled. She told me that we need to get a load of wood as backup if our gas runs out.

Yesterday, she told me she got a jar of oatmeal for the soups she will prepare during Ramadan. Yes, it cost her a lot of money, but she is trying to keep her tradition of preparing good meals in Ramadan alive. Despite her dedication, I don’t think there will be many good meals. Not now that our diet is mostly based on canned food. So, in Palestine, it feels like we will either get killed by the airstrikes, starvation, or food poisoning and other food and waterborne diseases.

None of the kids in our house can eat well right now. It’s a worry for their development as growing children. I do not remember them having eggs for at least 2 months. One egg is now about $1. They have not had meat. 1 kilo of meat is around $40. They have not had any fruit since October. Locally planted products are very rare, and farmers do not have access to their farms, some of which have been razed to the ground. Imported vegetables are very rare and the prices defy belief.

So, I’ve told my family to lower their expectations for Ramadan this year. In fact, I think it’s better if they don’t have any expectations at all. We used to have family gatherings with great meals, sweets, qatayef (folded pancakes) and samosas. This year, we will have none of these things.

This year, what I will miss the most are the iftars Islamic Relief hosts for our sponsored orphans and their families. I will miss the night prayers and gathering in the mosques. Most of the mosques, if not all of them, have been destroyed. This year, we approach Ramadan with one hope: that a ceasefire will happen, that we can live peaceful days, that we can go to our homes, that we are still alive.

Please, my dear readers, keep praying for us and supporting us. Please keep pushing for an immediate ceasefire.

Please help Islamic Relief support people in desperate need in Gaza: Donate to our Palestine Emergency Appeal now.

*This blog is anonymised to protect the safety and security of our colleague and others mentioned. Read the other blogs in this series here.

Editor’s note: This blog was submitted amid a fast-changing and deepening crisis. The information was correct as of Thursday 22 February 2024.