ZIAD IN GAZA

 

Everything is expensive, except for the lives of Gazans. Two months ago, a pack of salt would have cost 25 cents; now it costs $5. In the small room with my sister, I hear Ahmad giving his father the daily prices update and what is available in the market and what is not. Ahmad’s father says: “It is better to go to the sea and extract some salt from there than buy salt from the market.”

Another “treasure” these days is blankets. With the vicious cold and onslaught of winter, people are desperate for anything to cover themselves and their children at night, especially those without shelter or those staying at the schools. The past four days, the prices doubled every day. A woman I know is staying at a house where the windows were broken by the bombing. They covered the halls with nylon and cardboard. “We have heavy blankets, but the cold is deadly,” she told me. “We did not have a minute of sleep.”

I meet friends and the mother tells me she is looking for instant yeast; it is used to make dough. They are staying in a house with about 50 people; and she is responsible for baking for all of them. She is old and sick, and when I ask why she is doing all the heavy work, she says that since people are hosting them, she has to do what it takes to show appreciation. Today, I find the instant yeast, small packets that used to sell for $1 each; now they cost $9. I call to see if they want me to buy one.

The host family serves lunch, lentil soup. I take a sip and realise it needs salt. I feel shy to ask for some knowing the current prices. Instead, my sister suggests that she slices in one of the lemons we have. It tastes better.