Fresh fruit and vegetables 'rare treasures' in famine-hit Gaza

Photo by Rodion Kutsaiev on Unsplash

Source: Christian Aid

Christian Aid has released these latest food prices from Gaza:

- Tomatoes on sale for £18 a kilo.

- Eggs cost £40 a dozen.

- Onions are up to 80 times their pre-war price.

- Packet of 64 nappies costs £56.

Prices have fallen overall due to people's purchasing power diminishing, a lack of cash, and high fees from merchants for accepting card payments.

Only 25% of the population are estimated to be able to buy food, with the rest relying on limited humanitarian aid due to the blockade.

The food prices were gathered on 27th September 2025 in Khan Younis by a Christian Aid consultant's family.

A Christian Aid consultant who is outside Gaza, but whose family of 15 remain trapped in the Strip, said: "Prices have come down. The main reason is that people do not have the ability to pay. The merchants always ask for cash. Some merchants do not accept electronic payments and those who do charge a 30% fee [on top of the price of goods].

"Cash is not available in the hands of the people. My family has cash that is very old and is not accepted because it is bunched up, dirty, torn or has been stuck together [repaired].

"If people have cash, they think 100 times before they spend it. They prefer to pay electronically with fees if they can as they prefer to keep cash for urgent things like medicine. Around 75% of people don't have any money to buy and are relying totally on humanitarian support."

Ranin Awad, a 26-year-old mother of two living in Khan Yunis-Mawasi, told Christian Aid: "Food is the hardest challenge. We survive on whatever we can find-mostly lentils, rice, and bread when flour is available.

"Fresh vegetables or fruit are rare treasures. When I do manage to get a few tomatoes or cucumbers, I save them for the children, slicing tiny pieces - each piece is about the size of a one-shekel coin - so they each get a taste. That's all I can sometimes give the children, just to quieten their hunger for a little while."

William Bell, Christian Aid Head of Middle East Policy and Advocacy, said: "We continue to urge the international community to do everything in its power to force Israel to allow aid into Gaza, halt its brutal military campaign and implement a ceasefire that would both end the suffering and see the hostages released.

"Christian Aid's Palestinian partners continue to deliver life-saving aid on the ground in Gaza including food, water, medical and psycho-social care. Please consider supporting them if you can." See: www.christianaid.org.uk