Gaza City – Rabab Deifallah, a woman who has witnessed a lifetime of hardship, clutches a battered lighter, its small flame a fragile beacon in the desolate landscape of Gaza. Her son, Omar, a veteran of several repairs, meticulously prepares a simple loaf of bread, the rhythmic motion a desperate attempt to impose order on an increasingly chaotic existence.
Since the commencement of Israel’s genocidal war in October 2023, fire has become an almost mythical commodity in Gaza. The war’s restrictions on goods and movement, coupled with soaring fuel prices, have fundamentally altered daily life, leaving a desperate need for a reliable ignition source.
The lighter, a seemingly simple tool, has become the cornerstone of survival for Rabab and countless others. Prior to the conflict, a new lighter could be purchased for a meager $0.33, a privilege now a distant memory. Today, a replacement lighter costs between $27 and $33, a significant financial burden for a family struggling to afford basic necessities.
“Our entire daily life depends on fire,” Rabab confided, her voice laced with a weary resignation. “But getting a fire started begins with a lighter and this small object has become one of the hardest things to find in Gaza.”
Before the war, lighters were ubiquitous, readily available and inexpensive. For Rabab, a single lighter was a luxury – a tangible symbol of comfort and stability.
The shortage of cooking gas, a vital fuel for warmth and sustenance, has exacerbated the situation, forcing families to rely on salvaged embers and neighborly assistance.
The fragmented nature of Gaza’s population has created a precarious situation. Families often share lighters, passing them from tent to tent, a desperate attempt to maintain a semblance of warmth and security.
Hasnaa Mansour, 43, shares a similar struggle, but her predicament is framed by a deeply rooted displacement. She sits beside a clay oven, a relic of her family’s prosperity, now a symbol of the dwindling financial resources that fuel her efforts to bake and sell food to support her six children.
“I’ve repaired my lighter dozens of times,” Hasnaa explained, her voice tinged with a profound weariness. “Buying a new one is impossible. But the oven, it needs a real fire. It’s a constant battle to find a spark.”
The lighter shortage is intrinsically linked to Israel’s continued blockade of Gaza, severely limiting the flow of essential goods and exacerbating rising prices.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that restrictions on the movement of goods and the closures of crossings have contributed to shortages and escalating prices of essential supplies. OCHA also notes that items classified as “dual-use” face additional difficulties in obtaining approval to enter Gaza.
The Gaza Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated in June that restrictions on crossings and the mechanisms for bringing commercial shipments into Gaza continued to limit the flow of goods.
More than 30,000 trucks entered Gaza during the first five months of 2026, an average of no more than 191 trucks a day – still far below the territory’s daily pre-war needs.
Abu Shamlah, a displaced father, describes the situation as a desperate struggle for survival. “The whole school here… you wouldn’t find more than four lighters,” he said, his voice heavy with despair. “The lighter today is the backbone of life. If you have a lighter in your tent, you’re okay. If you don’t have one, you’re stuck.”
Abu Shamlah’s family often spends their nights without dinner, relying on the meager warmth of a single lighter to keep them company.
Repairing lighters has become a precarious profession. Tamer Al-Shawish, a driver before the war, now works as a fixer, a skill he never possessed.
“The war has forced us into jobs and work we never knew before,” he admitted. “I started repairing lighters so I could provide for my family’s needs.”
He salvaged parts from damaged lighters to repair others, demonstrating a resilience born of necessity.
“Even an old lighter has value now,” he said. “We take parts from damaged lighters and use them to repair other lighters, so they last longer.”
The plight of the lighter underscores the profound impact of the conflict on Gaza’s daily lives, highlighting the fragility of essential resources and the enduring struggle for survival amidst immense hardship.
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Source: Al Jazeera
