Gaza families fear food shortages as Israel halts commercial shipments

Gaza residents report rising prices after commercial shipments stopped, while families unable to afford extra supplies fear further shortages if the closure continues.

A vegetable market in Gaza, where prices of basic food items have risen amid restrictions on the entry of goods. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Gaza City, Gaza — Prices of basic goods are rising daily in Gaza, as Israeli restrictions on the import of commercial goods entered their fifth consecutive day.

Families already suffering from the siege on the enclave have started stocking up on goods they can still find, for fear of imminent shortages and continued price increases.

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The cost of flour, eggs, onions and other staples has sharply increased since Wednesday, when Israel said that commercial goods would no longer enter Gaza. This comes amid a dispute over fees involving Palestinian merchants and Hamas, which still has some authority in the strip.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been plunged into poverty since Israel began its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. The price of basic goods has soared, as incomes have shrunk due to the war and Israel’s tightened siege.

Residents without the means to buy in bulk will have to continue to purchase food when they can. They will be worst hit by the daily price rises if the border remains closed.

The impact of the Israeli import restrictions is playing out in marketplaces, which are slightly busier than usual.

Ismail al-Barawi, 52, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, noticed a significant rise in prices within two or three days of the crossings being closed on Wednesday.

He described a recurring cycle of uncertainty in Gaza over the status of the crossings, which is usually followed by higher prices.

Al-Barawi said a carton of eggs that had cost 35 shekels ($11.34) was now selling for between 60 and 70 shekels ($18 to $21). The price of a kilogramme of onions had risen from five or six shekels ($1.50–$1.80) to between eight and 10 shekels ($2.40–$3), while a kilogramme of avocados had increased from seven or eight shekels ($2.10–$2.40) to around 15 shekels ($4.50).

“These increases happened in just two or three days,” he said, voicing concern about what prices would be if the crossings remain closed for another 10 to 15 days.

The increases have forced him to buy smaller quantities of what he needs. Instead of a full carton of 30 eggs, he might buy only four or five.

“Today, everyone is trading at the expense of the people. There is no mercy,” he said. He expressed frustration at traders, saying they raise prices as soon as they hear that crossings may remain closed, adding to the problem of real shortages.

Ismail al-Barawi is frustrated by rising food prices in Gaza amid the continued closure of the crossings. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Al-Barawi predicted that a 50 kg sack of flour could end up costing 200 or even 300 shekels ($60–$90), if the crossings remained closed.

Al-Barawi is responsible for providing food to his extended family of about 11 or 12 people, including his married daughters and their children. Whenever he has money, he prioritises basic goods such as flour, rice, cooking oil, onions and potatoes.

Given the uncertainty, it makes sense for Palestinians to stock up now before prices increase further. But many families in Gaza have no money to spare, he added.

“Some people cannot even afford to feed themselves for a day. How much can they save or store when they have no money?” he said.

But stockpiling also has its limits. Fresh vegetables can spoil within days, he said. Unreliable electricity supplies make it difficult to store meat for more than a brief period.

Questions on the suspension

Gaza’s Government Media Office on Thursday rejected Israel’s explanation for the suspension, denying that authorities in the territory had imposed taxes or government fees on commercial trucks.

The office said the 10,000-shekel ($3,242) amount cited by Israel was linked to a voluntary community fund intended to support vulnerable families and financial relief projects.

It also said measures requiring a 30 percent rate for cash transactions had been introduced in agreement with the Chamber of Commerce to address a shortage of cash liquidity and the circulation of worn-out banknotes.

The office accused Israel of using the dispute to impose further restrictions on supplies entering Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.

Gaza authorities were not to blame for the reduction of trucks entering the enclave, it said, and called on mediators and international parties to push for the entry of 600 trucks a day , in line with existing agreements with Israel.

The office warned that continued restrictions would worsen the humanitarian and economic crisis in Gaza.

Food remains unaffordable for many households in Gaza. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that food prices in Gaza in September 2026 averaged 204 percent above pre-October 2023 levels, when the genocidal war on Gaza began and Israel tightened restrictions on goods entering the enclave. OCHA’s October 2 situation report, before the new border restrictions were imposed, documented the wider humanitarian pressures facing residents.

Iman Atallah says rising flour prices have made it increasingly difficult for her to afford basic food for her family. [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]

Iman Atallah, a 50-year-old displaced woman living in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, said the suspension of food deliveries has brought back memories of the man-made famine which hit the enclave in 2025 .

Atallah said the price of a sack of flour had already risen from between 25 and 35 shekels ($7.50–$10.50) before the closure to about 80 shekels ($24). With little income and a family to support, she said that even buying basic food had become increasingly difficult.

“Before the crossings closed, flour was affordable. We could somehow manage to buy it. Now it costs 80 shekels ($24),” she said.

The flour her family receives through aid distributions lasts less than a month. Fresh fruit and eggs are not completely unaffordable.

“We used to eat more, and we could buy eggs for the children. Now we’ve had to give those things up,” she said.

Her family now relies on rice and lentils, and they can afford only a little bread. Atallah said they sometimes skip breakfast or dinner, with lunch as their main meal of the day.

Atallah’s family is one of the many in Gaza unable to afford extra supplies and facing a bleak outlook if the crisis continues.

“We cannot stock up because we have no income,” she said. “If the crossings remain closed for 10 or 15 days, everything will become extremely expensive. Those who have money will stock up, while those who do not will just have to watch.”

加沙居民反映，商业运输停止后物价上涨，而无力承担额外物资的家庭担心，如果封锁继续下去，物资短缺的情况会更加严重。

加沙一处蔬菜市场，由于货物入境受到限制，基本食品价格上涨。[阿卜杜勒哈基姆·阿布·里亚什/半岛电视台]

加沙城，加沙——由于以色列对商业货物进口的限制已连续第五天实施，加沙基本商品的价格每天都在上涨。

由于担心物资短缺和价格持续上涨，已经饱受飞地围困之苦的家庭开始囤积还能找到的物品。

联合国警告称，随着冬季临近，加沙近100万人面临洪水风险（共3份清单，此为第1份）。

列表 2（共 3 项）：自加沙“停火”一年来，特朗普的和平委员会取得了哪些成就？

地图列表 3/3：地图显示以色列的“黄线”如何持续挤压加沙地带的巴勒斯坦人。

自周三以色列宣布商业货物不再进入加沙以来，面粉、鸡蛋、洋葱和其他主食的价格大幅上涨。与此同时，巴勒斯坦商户与哈马斯之间就关税问题发生争执，哈马斯在加沙地带仍拥有一定的控制权。

自以色列于2023年10月对加沙发动种族灭绝战争以来，加沙数十万巴勒斯坦人陷入贫困。由于战争和以色列加强封锁导致收入减少，基本生活用品价格飙升。

那些没有能力大量购买食品的居民将不得不继续在条件允许的情况下购买食物。如果边境继续关闭，他们将受到每日物价上涨最严重的冲击。

以色列的进口限制措施正在市场中显现出来，市场比平时略显繁忙。

来自加沙北部贾巴利亚的 52 岁居民伊斯梅尔·巴拉维注意到，在周三过境点关闭后的两三天内，物价大幅上涨。

他描述了加沙地带过境点状况反复出现的不确定性，而这种不确定性通常会导致物价上涨。

巴拉维表示，一盒鸡蛋的价格从之前的35谢克尔（11.34美元）涨到了60至70谢克尔（18至21美元）。洋葱的价格也从每公斤5至6谢克尔（1.50至1.80美元）上涨到了8至10谢克尔（2.40至3美元），而牛油果的价格则从每公斤7至8谢克尔（2.10至2.40美元）上涨到了约15谢克尔（4.50美元）。

“这些涨价仅仅发生在两三天之内，”他说道，并表达了对如果过境点再关闭 10 到 15 天价格将会如何的担忧。

物价上涨迫使他减少购买所需物品的数量。他以前会买一整盒30个鸡蛋，现在可能只会买四五个。

“如今，所有人都在以牺牲民众利益为代价进行交易，毫无怜悯之心。”他说道。他对贸易商表示失望，称他们一听说过境点可能继续关闭就抬高价格，加剧了真正的物资短缺问题。

由于过境点持续关闭，加沙食品价格不断上涨，伊斯梅尔·巴拉维对此感到沮丧。[阿卜杜勒哈基姆·阿布·里亚什/半岛电视台]

巴拉维预测，如果过境点继续关闭，一袋 50 公斤的面粉最终可能会花费 200 甚至 300 谢克尔（60-90 美元）。

巴拉维负责养活他那大约11到12人的大家庭，包括他已婚的女儿和她们的孩子。只要手头有钱，他就会优先购买面粉、大米、食用油、洋葱和土豆等基本生活用品。

鉴于目前的不确定性，巴勒斯坦人趁价格进一步上涨之前囤积物资是明智之举。但他补充说，加沙许多家庭根本没有余钱。

他说：“有些人甚至连一天的伙食都负担不起。他们没钱的时候，又能存下多少钱呢？”

但他表示，囤积物资也有其局限性。新鲜蔬菜几天内就会腐烂。电力供应不稳定也使得肉类难以长期储存。

关于停职的问题

加沙政府媒体办公室周四驳斥了以色列对暂停通关的解释，否认该地区当局对商用卡车征收税款或政府费用。

该办公室表示，以色列提到的 10,000 谢克尔（3,242 美元）与一个旨在支持弱势家庭和财政救济项目的自愿社区基金有关。

声明还指出，为解决现金流动性短缺和旧钞流通问题，政府已与商会达成一致，出台措施要求现金交易收取 30% 的手续费。

该办公室指责以色列利用这场争端进一步限制物资进入加沙地带，加沙自 2007 年以来一直处于以色列的封锁之下。

声明称，加沙当局不应为进入该飞地的卡车数量减少负责，并呼吁调解人和国际各方推动每天允许 600 辆卡车进入，这符合与以色列达成的现有协议。

该机构警告说，持续的限制措施将加剧加沙的人道主义和经济危机。

在加沙，许多家庭仍然难以负担食物。联合国人道主义事务协调厅（人道协调厅）报告称，2026年9月加沙的食品价格平均比2023年10月之前的水平高出204%。2023年10月，针对加沙的种族灭绝战争爆发，以色列也收紧了对进入加沙地带的货物的限制。在新的边境限制措施实施之前，人道协调厅于10月2日发布的情况报告记录了居民面临的更广泛的人道主义压力。

伊曼·阿塔拉表示，面粉价格上涨让她越来越难以负担家人的基本食物。[阿卜杜勒哈基姆·阿布·里亚什/半岛电视台]

居住在加沙北部拜特拉希亚的 50 岁流离失所妇女伊曼·阿塔拉表示，暂停食品供应让她回想起 2025 年袭击该飞地的那场人为饥荒。

阿塔拉赫说，面粉的价格在停业前就已经从每袋25到35谢克尔（7.50到10.50美元）上涨到现在的80谢克尔左右（24美元）。她说，由于收入微薄，还要养家糊口，就连购买基本食物都变得越来越困难。

“在过境点关闭之前，面粉很便宜，我们还能勉强买到。现在要80谢克尔（24美元）一盒，”她说。

她家通过援助物资领到的面粉不到一个月就吃完了。新鲜水果和鸡蛋倒也并非完全买不起。

“我们以前吃得多，还能给孩子们买鸡蛋。现在我们不得不放弃这些了，”她说。

她家现在只能靠米饭和扁豆充饥，只买得起少量的面包。阿塔拉说，他们有时会不吃早餐或晚餐，午餐是他们一天中最重要的一餐。

阿塔拉一家是加沙众多无力购买额外物资的家庭之一，如果危机持续下去，他们的前景将十分黯淡。

“我们没有收入，所以没法囤货，”她说。“如果过境点关闭10到15天，所有东西都会变得极其昂贵。有钱人会囤货，而没钱人只能眼睁睁地看着。”