DaysofPal — As Ramadan unfolds in the besieged Gaza Strip, scenes of children chasing garbage trucks through dusty streets have become a painful symbol of deepening hardship.
With severe shortages of cooking gas and fuel, many children are searching for scraps of wood, cardboard, plastic, and cloth to help their families light fires to prepare meals for iftar and suhoor.
The holy month, traditionally marked by family gatherings and shared meals, has taken on a different meaning this year.
For many in Gaza, preparations no longer revolve around traditional dishes and hospitality, but around a single urgent question: how to secure enough fuel to cook.
Israeli forces allow only limited quantities of cooking gas into the enclave, with residents receiving a gas cylinder at widely spaced intervals.
The shortages have forced families to ration supplies and rely on primitive alternatives, such as burning firewood, using worn clothing, and recycling plastic waste.
Many households try to preserve what little gas they have for emergencies, particularly during cold weather.
Bushra Abu Waheed said her family managed to obtain a gas cylinder just days before Ramadan, but it would last only a short time for her large household.
With firewood prices soaring and gas scarce, she has resorted to burning her children’s old clothes and plastic they collect from the streets and garbage dumps.
Across several neighborhoods in Gaza City, children can be seen waiting for waste collection trucks, then scrambling to retrieve broken wood, cardboard boxes, and discarded furniture.
In the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, dozens of children gather daily at a landfill site, searching for plastic containers and fabric scraps to use as fuel.
Among them is 10-year-old Muhannad Farid, who heads to the Maghazi dump each afternoon. His mother sends him to collect plastic jugs, cloth, and anything combustible to help cook the family’s meals.
He waits for trucks carrying refuse from charity kitchens and restaurants, hoping to salvage empty oil containers and cardboard packaging.
“I wish I could experience Ramadan like other children around the world, in peace and comfort. Instead, I struggle every day,” Muhannad said.
It’s not easy to dig through garbage. I have trouble breathing and constant itching from staying so long in the dump.”
He described long hours under the sun, awaiting the arrival of trucks in the late afternoon. When they unload, children and even adults rush forward to grab what they can, often leading to injuries and suffocation amid the chaos.
His mother, known as Umm Yahya, said the lack of cooking gas has turned preparing iftar into a daily ordeal.
“Life is hard. Without fire, we cannot cook,” she said.
“I send Muhannad out long before sunset to look for anything we can burn under the cooking pot. I know how dangerous it is for his health, but I have no safe alternative.” She added.
She added that while Ramadan in Gaza has long been known for its strong social traditions and modest but warm gatherings, this year, poverty and anxiety dominate.
A standard 8-kilogram gas cylinder, distributed roughly every six weeks, is insufficient to cover the needs of a family throughout the holy month, when meals are prepared regularly at dawn and sunset.
As a result, many families are forced into strict rationing, saving what little gas they have primarily for suhoor or for quickly heating drinks and simple foods. The rest of the time, they rely on open fires fueled by scavenged waste.
Medical professionals warn that burning painted wood, plastic, and other unsuitable materials releases toxic fumes that can severely affect the respiratory system, particularly in children and the elderly. Searching through garbage also exposes children to cuts, infections, and diseases from contaminated waste.
Humanitarian workers say the sight of children undertaking such hazardous tasks underscores the scale of Gaza’s worsening crisis and raises alarm about the long-term impact on an entire generation growing up amid deprivation.
Local and international organizations are calling for the regular entry of cooking gas and fuel into Gaza and for expanded humanitarian assistance, especially during Ramadan, along with stronger child protection and psychosocial support programs.
For now, however, many children continue to chase garbage trucks each day, searching for scraps to keep the flame of survival alive.
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