The majority of Gaza Strip residents lost their jobs due to the war, and the government stopped paying the salaries of its employees (Anatolia)

Gaza -

After waiting for her turn in a gold store, Maryam took off her ring and presented it to the jeweler, asking him about its price. He told her that he would buy it for 220 shekels ($61), to which the woman responded by accepting, and said that she had decided to sell the ring for the purpose of purchasing supplies for her family displaced from Jabalia Camp, north of the Gaza Strip, to the city of Rafah, south of the Strip.

Maryam (a pseudonym) said that she bought the ring for 280 shekels, and she is forced to sell it now due to the continuing difficult living conditions that the displaced have been experiencing for 6 months since the start of the brutal Israeli war, which claimed the lives of nearly 33,000 people and resulted in the demolition of about 70% of the homes in the Strip. According to international data.

This is the first time that Maryam has decided to sell some of her jewelry, but many of her acquaintances and relatives have previously sold some of their gold, including her sister who sold a chain to buy a tent. Maryam continues to Al Jazeera Net, “Most people sell their gold, because the cost of life is expensive, and because we do not know When will the war end?"

This situation reached the residents of the Gaza Strip after the majority of them lost their jobs due to the war. The government also stopped paying the salaries of its employees, which exacerbated the rate of extreme poverty that the population suffers from. Israel also practices, according to United Nations reports, a deliberate policy of starvation against the residents of the Gaza Strip, which is This prompted the International Court of Justice, on Thursday, to order Tel Aviv to take all necessary measures to ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza to avoid famine.

The famous Al-Najma Market in Rafah, where goods are offered for sale at high prices (Al-Jazeera)

Selling as a last resort

This situation has caused a problem for gold stores, which now have a large stock in light of the increased supply and lack of demand, and not having sufficient financial liquidity to purchase. The store owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, says, “We only work in buying gold from people and no one is buying. Huge quantities, there is a very large supply and little demand, and we are unable to spend it, and we do not even have sufficient liquidity to buy due to the closure of the banks.”

The decision to sell gold is not easy for women, according to Al-Sayegh, who adds, “A woman comes with tears in her eyes to sell her gold. A while ago a woman sold a piece of gold and said to me: For two years, I have been saving (saving) the money to buy this piece, then I will sell it to buy a tent.”

As for Rawya Jarada, she depends on what her son Nour gets from selling Qatayef sweets, in addition to the relief aid she receives. A number of her children worked in selling canned food and sweets to children, which provided the family with a limited income, but they were unable to continue, and she told Al Jazeera. Net: “Our family is suffering greatly. We are 10 members, and we are facing difficulty in providing clothing, food, and drink.”

Jarada confirms what her predecessors said about women’s tendency to sell their gold jewelry to support their families. She adds, explaining, “I know a bride who sold a chain, then a ring, then a ring, and she had a ring left with her. I asked her why she did not sell it, and she replied that it was a gift from her martyr father, and it was honorable for her to sell it.” She continues, “I asked a neighbor of mine: How do you live? She replied: I sell my gold. So I said to her: It is forbidden for you. She said: I am forced, so how do we live, eat and drink?”

Mona Al-Araj gets food from a charitable hospice, but she faces a problem providing other supplies (Al-Jazeera)

From good people

Mona Al-Araj does not have any gold jewelry to sell, so she and her family rely on the meals provided by a nearby charitable hospice. The hospice provides one meal a day for the family, which often consists of lentils, beans, pasta, or rice without meat.

Al-Araj, who lives in a tent after her displacement from the north of the Gaza Strip to the city of Deir al-Balah in its center, receives a food basket once a month from charitable institutions, which helps her meet some of her needs. As for bread, she makes it herself using a wood-fired oven, using flour she obtains from an agency. Relief and Works for Refugees "UNRWA".

But Al-Araj faces a big problem in providing the rest of the family’s needs, which needs cash to buy them, such as food and shoes. She adds to Al-Jazeera Net, “We do not buy any supplies. We do not buy clothes or shoes. I look at them (and she points to her children).”

Abu Mari to Al Jazeera Net: Since the beginning of the war, I have been living on what relief institutions provide in terms of food baskets and bags of flour (Al Jazeera)

Before the war, Subhi Abu Mari was working in selling detergents in the Bureij camp in the middle of the Gaza Strip, but the occupation army completely destroyed his house, forcing him and his family to flee with only their personal clothes to the city of Deir al-Balah.

Since the beginning of the war, Abu Marhi has been living with his family on food baskets and bags of flour provided by relief organizations. He also receives meals from charitable hospices in the area, which helps him support his family. He says that he is forced to sell some of the food baskets he obtains to buy Other supplies that require cash.

Sahar Mezyed was receiving cash aid from her father, but he was martyred two weeks ago (Al Jazeera)

Help from parents

In turn, Musa Abu Muayliq asked his brothers residing abroad to help him support himself and his family of 8 people. Abu Muayliq, who lives in his home in the city of Deir al-Balah, says, “I do not work, and the war has been prolonged and the prices are high. I manage my affairs from here and there. I called my brothers.” abroad so that they can send us money.” He added, “We manage our situation with difficulty. Sometimes we cannot find water or food, especially in light of the high prices and lack of availability of goods.”

Sahar Mezyed was receiving cash assistance from her father to help her spend on her family of 5 children, but he was martyred two weeks ago. She also owned a lightweight ring, but she sold it to spend on her family. She told Al Jazeera Net that the majority of families sell the gold they own to She manages her financial affairs, and adds, "My cousin sold a gold chain to buy food for her family, because she does not know when the war will end."

Like its predecessors, the hospice is considered the primary breadwinner for displaced families, as Mazyad relies mainly on it to obtain a daily meal for her family. She told Al Jazeera Net, “My husband has not worked for 7 months. I live from the hospice. I manage (manage) my day. My father used to help me, but he... He was martyred two weeks ago.” The food she provides to her family depends on the bread she makes herself in a wood-fired oven, and she often makes sandwiches for them made of bread and dukkah.

Source: Al Jazeera