GAZA, (PIC)
Eid al-Adha approaches this year in the Gaza Strip amid a scene completely different from previous seasons, after the manifestations of crowding and active movement disappeared from the popular markets, in light of the continuous Israeli war and the blockade that worsened the humanitarian and economic conditions and pushed thousands of families to abandon buying Eid clothing.
In the markets, shop owners stand in front of their goods waiting for a few customers, while Eid clothing has turned for many families into a burden that exceeds their financial capacity, after the war exhausted their savings and forced them to focus their spending on food, water, and basic survival requirements.
The residents of the Strip live in catastrophic living conditions, with the spread of poverty, displacement, and loss of income sources, which pushed the majority of families to postpone buying clothes for their children, despite the approach of Eid.
The displaced woman Umm Muhammad Badr, from the north of Gaza told Safa Agency that she no longer thinks about buying Eid clothes for her children as much as she thinks about how to provide food and water for her family.
She added that her children have become aware of the size of the crisis experienced by the family, and they try to hide their desires so as not to increase the suffering of their parents.
She said that Eid no longer carries its usual joy, in light of the destruction, displacement, and loss of homes, adding that what she saved from her children’s “Eidiya” (cash gift) is no longer enough even to buy clothes for one child, due to the high rise in prices.
She pointed out that she was hoping to benefit from one of the Eid clothing initiatives, but the decline in humanitarian aid and charitable projects prevented that.
In contrast, traders in the Gaza Strip stressed that purchasing activity is almost non-existent, despite their attempts to offer goods at varying prices and limited discounts to stimulate the markets.
Tayseer Nasr, a clothing shop owner, said that most citizens only ask about prices and then leave without buying, as a result of the lack of liquidity and weak purchasing power.
He explained that the current season is the weakest since the beginning of the war, pointing out that the markets relied during the past two years on initiatives and charitable projects that provided part of the sales movement through distributing Eid clothing to poor families.
He added that traders did not sign any agreements this year with institutions or associations to implement clothing projects, which increased the state of stagnation in the markets.
Nasr indicated that the rise in prices is not only related to the scarcity of goods, but also to the high costs of entering clothes into the Strip, in light of the fees and royalties imposed on commercial trucks, which reflects directly on the final prices and reduces sales opportunities.
