Sugar Rs 5,000, Oil Rs 4,000: Gazans Blame Israel, They Say It's Hamas
New Delhi:
On the morning of Eid al-Adha, prayers across the Gaza Strip were conducted not in mosques, but in the rubble of what used to be homes, schools, and religious institutions. A ceasefire is not in sight, and neither is a meal. The traditions that usually mark this holiday, sacrificial meat, communal feasts, and gifts for children, are unrecognisable now. Instead, a singular item dominates conversations: food, or the lack of it.
A recent viral post from Gaza featuring the biscuit, Parle-G, claimed that they are being sold at over 24 euros, which is approximately Rs 2,400. Like the biscuits, most goods sold in Gaza's markets have become unaffordable to nearly everyone.
A list obtained by NDTV from inside Gaza documents the going rates for basic staples. Converted into Indian rupees (1 new Israeli shekel = Rs 24.57), it reads like this:
1 litre of cooking oil: 170 shekel (approx. Rs 4,177)
1 kilogram of sugar: 200 shekel (approx. Rs 4,914)
1 kilogram of milk powder: 35 shekel (approx. Rs 860)
1 kilogram of flour: 60 shekel (approx. Rs 1,474)
1 kilogram of salt: 20 shekel (approx. Rs 491)
1 kilogram of okra: 45 shekel (approx. Rs 1,106)
1 kilogram of duck meat: 30 shekel (approx. Rs 737)
1 kilogram of tomatoes: 45 shekel (approx. Rs 1,106)
1 kilogram of onions: 180 shekel (approx. Rs 4,423)
1 kilogram of potatoes: 80 shekel (approx. Rs 1,966)
1 kilogram of brinjal: 35 shekel (approx. Rs 860)
1 kilogram of lemon: 60 shekel (approx. Rs 1,474)
1 kilogram of lentils: 35 shekel (approx. Rs 860)
1 cup of coffee: 180 shekel (approx. Rs 4,423)
1 box of goat meat: 200 shekel (approx. Rs 4,914)
Prices like these are unthinkable in a territory where virtually no one has an income.
Israel Say It's Hamas
Israel insists Hamas is hijacking aid. Speaking exclusively with NDTV, Israeli embassy spokesperson Guy Nir said, "There are masked gunmen who are Hamas, who are shooting at the Gazans because Hamas doesn't want this operation to succeed. The thing is, for the first year and a half, most of the aid trucks that went into Gaza were looted. Hamas looted about 80 per cent of all trucks."
According to Mr Nir, Hamas is selling the contents to civilians at inflated prices. This system, he claims, allowed Hamas to exert economic and political control over the population.
In northern Gaza, Israel issued a warning on Friday that it would launch "intensive operations" in areas from which rockets had reportedly been fired. The military said four of its soldiers died earlier in Khan Younis when explosives collapsed a Hamas compound. Five others were injured.
The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) now projects that by September, nearly 500,000 people in Gaza will be experiencing "catastrophic food insecurity", the highest level of hunger categorisation before famine.
"The amount of humanitarian aid that came into Gaza during the first year and a half was astronomical," Mr Nir said. "We delivered over 3,500 calories per person per day. If everybody ate everything we brought in, they would be fat.
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