Fresh fruit and other goods are now available in Gaza, but at prohibitive prices, as the territory grapples with an unemployment rate estimated at 80%. For many, like Mansour Mohammad Bakr, a 23-year-old former fisherman now living in a cramped room in Gaza City with his pregnant wife and two young daughters, the lack of cash is a daily struggle.
“Money is the main means of survival in Gaza … without it, a person cannot do anything,” Bakr says. “The limited aid that reaches us doesn’t replace our need for money in any way and doesn’t cover even the most basic living requirements.” His fishing equipment was destroyed during the two-year war, and his brothers were killed.
Humanitarian organisations have increased distribution since a ceasefire in October, but aid remains insufficient. Basic food assistance reaches millions, but for items like fresh produce, clothes, and household goods brought in by the private sector, cash is essential. Aid worker Kate Charlton notes that commercial supplies have surged but “it is all very expensive.”
Mohammed al-Far, a 55-year-old former trader living in a tent encampment in al-Mawasi, says his family receives only one meal a day from aid groups. “Life requires cash to go on … transportation, haircuts, charging mobile phones and buying vegetables and fruit all require money,” he explains. He has tried to start small businesses but failed and now feels his age hinders his job search.
The economy has shrunk to 13% of its pre-war size, and the UN estimates GDP per capita in Gaza fell to just £118 in 2024. The Israeli offensive shattered infrastructure, agriculture, and the fishing industry. The ceasefire agreement was meant to lead to reconstruction, but progress has stalled, with disagreements over disarmament and governance hindering recovery.
