Gaza’s displaced families rely on costly cigarette lighters for survival

In the tent camps of southern Gaza, single‑use cigarette lighters have become essential for cooking and heating, as gas supplies are scarce. Prices have jumped from about one shekel (≈0.30 €, 30 cents) before the war to around 100 shekels (≈30 €, 30 $) today. Families share the same lighter across tents and often wait for someone else to ignite a fire or light a piece of cardboard to transfer flame.

Nisrin Abu Sada, a 38‑year‑old mother of four, told Reuters, "The tent is useless without a lighter" and explained the daily struggle to make fire. With lighters breaking quickly, Hasan Abu Latifa, a displaced father of three, repairs plastic lighters in a small kiosk, saying, "Repairing lighters is not really a profession, but necessity forced us to make it a job."

The United Nations reports that unemployment in Gaza exceeds 80 % and poverty approaches 100 %, while infrastructure has been largely destroyed. The soaring cost of a once‑trivial item now makes the lighter a rare luxury in an enclave facing severe humanitarian distress.