Fuel shortage deepens suffering of Palestinians as winter weather bites

At a garbage dump in Khan Younis, many Palestinians use their bare hands to dig in search of plastic and paper to help start a fire to cook and keep warm in the bitter cold of January.

As the winter weather worsens, it is deepening the suffering of Gazans, most of whom are still living in tents or buildings damaged by Israel’s bombardment of the enclave.

For many of them, buying firewood is not possible.

“Today, firewood costs around 7, 8 shekels [$2-3] and we have no income,” said Aziz Akel, who lives in a very basic tent with his family.

He leaves early in the morning to scratch through the garbage to the hoping of find something he can use as fuel for a fire and save him some money.

“My house is gone and my children were wounded. My situation is miserable,” he said.

Inside the tent where Akel lives with his wife and six children, starting a fire is a critical daily chore in order to cook and keep warm.

The United Nations says at least nine children have died from hypothermia this winter and is calling for urgent assistance.

Humanitarian groups say more crossing points should be opened to let in aid, including cooking gas and shelters.

Aziz’s family is well aware of the dangers of using plastics and paper to start a fire but has no other choice.

“Of course that is not healthy, but we are forced to do it,” said his daughter, Lina Akel.

“My father is not employed. There are no jobs. So every day, he goes out to get some paper for us to use to prepare breakfast, lunch, and bread. The basics of life.”

Together, they keep watching the fire and gradually adding plastic and paper to keep it burning.

Palestinians complain about the exorbitant prices of fuel and its shortage, saying that it is mostly sold on the black market.

With many families left with nothing, the International Committee of the Red Cross says the recent biting cold and rainfall in Gaza are “a threat to survival”.

“This is our life, no income, no money, no blankets, no winter clothes. We have no clothes to keep us warm. We do not sleep at night from the cold,” said Akel’s wife, Sanaa Salah.

The fragile ceasefire paused two years of war between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

But three months into the truce, despite increased aid deliveries, the UN and its partners say the humanitarian crisis is far from over.