Full story
Displaced women, rising costs
Amid the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, displaced women are turning to small businesses and modest “street stalls” to secure minimum necessities after losing income sources and with irregular aid, as the cost of living rises and families headed by women face a heavier burden.
“Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, many displaced women are turning to starting small businesses and modest stalls in an effort to secure the minimum necessities of life after losing income sources and with irregular aid, as the cost of living rises and the burden on families headed by women grows”
One displaced woman told Al Jazeera Mubasher that she opened a stall that is her only source of income, saying, "there is no income and nothing coming in" and that she does not receive aid from any institution or place.
She described how rising prices have made basic needs extremely difficult, including school supplies, and said, "a notebook alone costs 6 shekels."
She said displacement damaged her clothes and personal belongings, and that high prices prevented replacement, adding, "From displacement, our clothes and belongings were damaged, and everything is expensive".
Debt, credit, and stall-hopping
The woman said she struggles to buy goods needed to sustain her small project, noting that transport costs and having to buy on credit add to her burden.
She told Al Jazeera Mubasher that she needs money and that, "for example, half of her money goes to debt," while she also described being unable to pay via a banking app or cash when she goes to buy items.
She said she moves between stalls in search of tiny price differences to cut costs, describing how she suffers "wandering stall to stall to find the cheapest price, even if only a couple of shekels, and often in vain."
She said weak demand prevents her from fulfilling even the simplest requests, and that she lives a constant struggle in selling and buying with the stall all day.
War toll and infrastructure damage
The article links the woman’s hardship to the broader war context, stating that since the start of the Israeli genocide against the besieged Palestinian enclave in October 2023, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been martyred and more than 173,000 injured.
“Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, many displaced women are turning to starting small businesses and modest stalls in an effort to secure the minimum necessities of life after losing income sources and with irregular aid, as the cost of living rises and the burden on families headed by women grows”
It also says the conflict has produced widespread destruction affecting 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the enclave, framing the economic strain and irregular aid as part of a wider humanitarian crisis.
Within that setting, the woman described how her stall “just about covers her son's needs, barely enough,” and said that when her son asks for something, he says, "Mama, I want, Mama, I want… and she has nothing to give."
She concluded that she fights as much as she can but is exhausted, stressing that if she gives from her capital, "there will be nothing left."
