Society

Gaza Lighter Shortage: How a Simple Tool Became a Survival Lifeline

The Gaza lighter shortage describes the sharp rise in the price and scarcity of disposable lighters in Gaza's displacement camps through 2026, driven by the co…

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THE BLOCKADE BEGINS

Land, Sea and Air Blockade Imposed on Gaza

Following the 2007 political takeover of Gaza, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade restricting the movement of goods and people, with Israeli authorities applying additi…

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GRID DAMAGE DEEPENS FUEL RE…

Power Plant and Grid Damaged, Electricity Falls to a Few Hours a Day

Conflict in 2014 damaged Gaza's sole power plant and electrical grid, cutting households to just a few hours of grid power a day and pushing more cooking onto bottled ga…

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WAR BEGINS, RESTRICTIONS IN…

October 2023 Escalation Sharply Tightens Movement of Goods

Following the escalation that began in October 2023, restrictions on the movement of goods into and out of Gaza intensified sharply, compounding the blockade conditions…

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DISPLACEMENT ENTRENCHES MAK…

Mass Displacement Into Tents Removes Fixed Kitchen Infrastructure

Repeated waves of displacement through 2024 pushed large numbers of families into tents and improvised shelters with no gas line, fixed stove or safe indoor cooking spac…

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FUEL CONSTRAINTS PERSIST

Sustained Fuel and Cooking-Gas Shortages Through the Year

Successive OCHA situation reports through 2025 continued to document limited fuel and cooking-gas entry, volatile prices, and constraints on humanitarian operations that…

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COMMUNITY KITCHENS UNDERMIN…

OCHA: Cooking-Gas Shortage Forces ~46% of Families to Unsafe Waste Burning

OCHA's 2 April 2026 Humanitarian Situation Report found cooking-gas shortages were undermining community kitchens — a shared cooking resource meant to reduce household f…

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WASTE BURNING REACHES 73%

WFP Market Monitor: Waste Burning Jumps to ~73% of Households

OCHA's 31 July 2026 report cited WFP Palestine Market Monitor survey data showing roughly 73% of households relied on burning waste as their main cooking method that mon…

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THE LIGHTER BECOMES A SURVI…

Reuters: Lighters Sell for Up to 100 Shekels; a Repair Economy Emerges

Reuters reporting, carried by Al Jazeera on 16 August 2026, documented lighters selling for up to 100 shekels in Gaza's tent camps, families sharing and rationing them,…

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