Food prices in Gaza so high they're 'meaningless'
Deadly chaos and violence have engulfed aid distribution in the Gaza Strip since Israel reconstituted the system in May as part of what it said was an effort to keep aid out of the hands of Hamas.
The mayhem - and the limited amount of aid entering the enclave in the first place - has led many Palestinians to give up trying to get humanitarian aid. One of the few alternatives has been to buy food from markets in Gaza, stocked with a combination of aid materials - some of which may have been looted - commercial goods, and small amounts of locally grown produce. But the prices of many basic goods have skyrocketed. "Have I ever seen this anywhere else to this extent?" Arif Husain, chief economist at World Food Programme, said.
"Absolutely not."
Sugar now costs about $106 per kg compared with 89 cents before the war, flour is $12 per kg compared with 42 cents, and tomatoes are $30 per kg compared with 59 cents, according to data published by Gaza Governorate Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The data were collected by some of the chamber's staff members, who have been conducting surveys at markets in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis "The prices are insane, totally insane," said Mohammad Fares, 24, a resident of Gaza City.
Fares said he was unwilling to risk his life by going to aid sites, describing them as "death traps" where Israeli soldiers shoot people and desperate Palestinians threaten one another with knives.
"Prices are so high that they become meaningless," Husain said. Instability in supply has caused drastic price fluctuations. The price of flour reached $891 for a 25-kg sack on July 20, dipped to $223 on Sunday and climbed to $334 on Wednesday.
"We're not just facing a war in terms of bombs - we're facing a war in terms of prices, hunger and thirst, too," said Ayed Abu Ramadan, chair of the chamber of commerce. Prices of non-food items have also been extraordinarily high. A bar of soap is about $10, compared with 59 cents before war; a pack of 40 diapers is $149, compared with $8.61. Another challenge is getting hard cash, which many can find only on black market for exorbitant commissions.
"...suffering is built into every aspect of life," Fares said.
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