The Palestinians say the cutoff of aid and commercial supplies was aimed at putting pressure on Hamas, but it is already having a wider impact.
A day after Israel began cutting off all goods and humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are already feeling the effects of the sweeping measure: prices for basic necessities are rising.
“It was a complete shock,” said Iman Saber, a 24-year-old nurse from northern Gaza, of Israel's decision on Sunday to block humanitarian aid and commercial shipments.
Prices for sugar, butter and chicken have already risen, and hopes raised by the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have proved fleeting, said Ms. Saber, who lives in a tent with her father, who has cancer, her mother and her sister.
“We couldn't wait for the shops to open again and for prices to come down so we could feel relief,” Ms. Saber said in a telephone interview. “But now everything is getting expensive again.”
Israel's halt in supplies and aid, including fuel, was intended to pressure Hamas to accept its new offer to extend the ceasefire, which paused the war in Gaza after 15 months of fighting and has since expired. Hours before the border closure was announced, Israel offered a seven-week extension, during which Hamas would have to release half of the remaining hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that started the war.
The renewed aid blockade has affected not only humanitarian aid, which is distributed free of charge, but also commercial goods, and the impact on prices in the devastated enclave has been almost immediate, Gazans say. The ban on supplies came as many were already struggling to observe the holy month of Ramadan, usually a festive time of fasting and worship.
