As Ramadan enters its sixth day, residents of the Gaza Strip are grappling with mounting daily pressures amid a web of crises that extend well beyond soaring prices for basic goods.
For many families, access to essentials such as cooking gas, adequate food and transportation has become an exhausting struggle.
Among the most acute problems is the shortage of cooking gas, leaving most households reliant on firewood. But wood is also scarce and increasingly expensive, particularly during Ramadan, when demand rises, including from restaurants facing the same fuel shortages.
The Gaza Petroleum Authority distributes limited quantities of gas to residents — eight kilograms per household — without a fixed timetable. Distribution cycles are irregular due to the limited and inconsistent flow of supplies into the territory.
Hassan Al-Masri, 45, said residents can wait three or four months to receive just eight kilograms, less than the 12 kilograms or more typically held by a standard gas cylinder.
The shortage has severely affected families’ ability to prepare meals, particularly during Ramadan. Samar Abu Al-Jebin, from Jabalia and currently displaced at a shelter in the Al-Nasr neighborhood, said preparing food for her family of nine, especially the pre-dawn suhoor meal, has become increasingly difficult. On some days, she relies on meals distributed by charity kitchens for iftar.
Even those who manage to receive food aid say the quality has deteriorated.
In a camp on the outskirts of Al-Shati refugee camp, northwest of Gaza City, hundreds of tents shelter families displaced from northern Gaza. Residents say the meals provided by charity kitchens, many operating on behalf of international organizations, are often extremely poor in quality.
Ahmed Labad, 39, displaced from Beit Lahia, said that for nearly two months, even before Ramadan began, meals have been substandard. “Most of it is thrown away,” he said, explaining that only those with no alternative eat the food to feed their children. He questioned the level of oversight on kitchens operating for international and other institutions.
Firas Al-Kafarna, a resident of the camp, said that since the beginning of Ramadan, only the first day’s meal had been of acceptable quality. “After that, families have been throwing the food in the trash,” he said, adding that complaints are coming from displacement camps and shelters across the Gaza Strip due to the very poor meals being served.
Some families living in partially damaged homes also depend on the charity kitchens because of severe economic hardship. Yet residents say much of the distributed food ultimately ends up discarded.
Gaza’s Ministry of Social Development, run by Hamas, has issued instructions to all organizations providing meals — particularly to displaced people — to improve quality.
The ministry stressed that kitchens should not limit distributions to plain rice or thin stews without additions, and called for including meat and poultry, especially given the recent influx of frozen products allowed into Gaza.
According to Al-Kafarna, however, none of the organizations have complied with these directives so far.
Beyond food and fuel, transportation has become another daily burden. A shortage of vehicles — many destroyed during the war — combined with a severe liquidity crisis has complicated movement across the territory.
Anas Hamid, 21, displaced from the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City to Al-Nasr in the west, said drivers insist on cash payments and frequently vary fares from one location to another. “There is no unified fare,” he said, questioning the absence of effective oversight.
Driver Hassan Al-Hanawi said many drivers avoid electronic banking applications or digital wallets for several reasons, including unreliable internet access, the absence of bank accounts among some drivers, and fuel station owners who require payment in cash rather than electronically.
The Hamas-run government has issued several circulars instructing drivers to accept worn banknotes and encouraging the use of electronic payment systems. However, implementation has remained limited.
With vehicle shortages persisting, many residents have turned to bicycles — once uncommon in Gaza — to meet daily needs. Demand has surged, though supply remains limited and prices have risen sharply compared to pre-war levels.
Nabil Al-Tayef, 26, initially used his bicycle to run errands for his family before joining a delivery office as restaurants and shops gradually resumed operations.
Most delivery services now rely heavily on young men using their own bicycles. Motorbikes are rare, and electric bicycles — recently permitted into Gaza through a single trader — are prohibitively expensive, costing more than $3,500, compared with $500 to $700 before the war.
