DaysofPal- In a scene that starkly illustrates the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, many families are now burning the remnants of their destroyed homes to cook food for their children. With cooking gas supplies cut off by the Israeli blockade, residents have resorted to using wood scraps, plastic, and even their broken furniture to survive.
Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, Gaza’s supply of cooking gas has come to a complete halt. More than two million residents have been forced to adopt dangerous and improvised alternatives, often at the expense of their health and environment.
Although the Israeli occupation temporarily allowed limited gas shipments during a short-lived ceasefire, this access ended abruptly after the collapse of the truce on March 18, 2024 — a deal brokered by Egypt and Qatar with U.S. support.
Burning Their Belongings to Stay Alive
Mohammad Mousa, a former carpenter and father of six, now uses parts of his furniture to light fires and prepare meals for his family. “I can’t afford firewood anymore,” he told Palestine Newspaper. “It used to cost one shekel; now it’s three. I haven’t worked since the war began, and I’ve spent everything I had just moving between areas to keep my children safe from airstrikes.”
With safety elusive in every corner of the besieged enclave, Mousa says what’s left of his home has become fuel for survival. “The war has made firewood our only option, but its soaring price has turned it into another crisis on top of many.”
The story is the same for Kamal Obeid, a father of four, who says he’s reduced to burning plastic and paper indoors after running out of furniture to burn. “At first, I bought wood, but the price drained my savings. Then I turned to whatever I could find — plastic, trash, anything,” he said. “Now my kids are sick. The air inside our home is toxic.”
Fires Born from Rubble
Mouin Abd Al-Al, displaced from his destroyed home in Gaza’s Al-Nasr neighborhood, is gathering debris from what’s left of his house just to cook food. “Everything I owned is gone,” he said. “Now, I pick up broken wooden panels to make a fire. This is how we eat.”
But the health toll is mounting. With people burning plastic and other non-household materials, residents are increasingly suffering from respiratory illnesses. Abd Al-Al says he experiences frequent headaches, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing. “Sitting in front of this fire has become a daily routine — not by choice, but by necessity,” he said.
A Cry for Help Amid the Ashes
As the blockade tightens and airstrikes continue, residents are pleading with the international community to act. From under the rubble and rising smoke, Gazans are calling for an immediate end to what they describe as a genocide and for humanitarian aid — especially cooking gas, food, and medicine — to be allowed into the Strip.
“We’re not asking for luxuries,” said one resident. “Just the bare essentials to keep our children alive.”
With every passing day, the fires burning in Gaza are no longer just for cooking — they are a symbol of a people struggling to hold on in the face of total devastation.
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