Attachments
**Key findings - Gaza Strip**
- With the start of Ramadan, while most items are currently available in the markets some fresh items are becoming less available showing the limitations of supply and high demand, and resultant price increases. Most notably, chicken eggs and zucchini have disappeared from some markets across the Strip, and the price of key fresh vegetables is increasing. For example, the price of eggs, a key protein source, has increased from 25 NIS to between 65-80 NIS depending on the weight and quality of the carton; cucumbers have risen from 7 NIS to up to 23 NIS per kg; tomatoes from 7 NIS to 13 NIS.
- The prices of key staples have remained more stable at around pre-ceasefire prices, with their wider availability.
- With most prices remaining higher than pre-crisis levels, at anywhere up to 233 percent, and unemployment in Gaza at over 80 percent, most households lack the purchasing power to afford many of these items (a challenge of food access), highlighting the criticality of digital cash transfer programs to support affordability.
- Food diversity remains far below pre‑conflict levels, yet the steady month‑to‑month improvements in food availability and consumption patterns point to a slow but meaningful path toward recovery. This trend underscores the critical role of market revitalization and sustained humanitarian assistance in maintaining and accelerating this progress.
- The price of wheat flour decreased further in Gaza City and Khan Younis in the second week of February, with the price of the 25 Kg bag standing at 15 NIS. In Deir Al-Balah it also witnessed a decrease, with the price of the same bag standing at 25 NIS.
- The decrease in the price of wheat flour has been enabled by increased entry of the commodity both humanitarian and commercial sources since the ceasefire, and while some stocks have been built up, a lack of stability of inflows could see prices start to fluctuate again. Additionally, most Gazan citizens rely on bread from bakeries due to insufficient gas and electricity supply to cook in their place of residence. Buying bread from subsidized bakeries is much cheaper than home baking, therefore reducing its demand for flour for home production.
- While the price of chicken has remained largely stable in recent weeks (a whole chicken 21 NIS per Kg, chicken breast 32 NIS per Kg, chicken wings 10 NIS per Kg, chicken liver 15 NIS per Kg, chicken thighs 22 NIS per Kg), with the onset of Ramadan a 5 NIS increase per kg is being witness for frozen goods.
- In a recent statement by the Petroleum Authority, only 20 percent of the total gas needs are being met. This shortage of cooking gas supply means that on days when gas is available, the price decreases, and on days when it is not, it increases, depending on demand. With demand of cooking gas high as people stockpile gas for the month Ramadan, and an increase in the number of restaurants reopening, further increases in the price of cooking gas are expected.
- While most of buying and selling transactions are done online through digital cash transfer/banking apps, the liquidity problem persists in the context of limited employment, constrained and market functionality. Cash withdrawal fees are still standing at around 14-15 percent, while most shops no longer demand fees on digital payments from customers.
- Consumption patterns also reflected progress. Households reported an average of two meals per day in February 2026, compared to one meal in July. Still, one in five households consumed only one meal daily.
- 51 percent of the population reported relying on waste burning as an alternative to cooking gas in February. Encouragingly, the share of households in the northern governorates using cooking gas reached 10 percent, signaling gradual improvement. However, ensuring a consistent and sufficient supply of cooking gas remains an urgent priority to reduce reliance on unsafe practices and mitigate associated health risks.