In Gaza, 1,000 euro cigarette packets and convoys attacked because of contraband

Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, tobacco prices have skyrocketed in the Gaza Strip. Criminal groups are taking advantage of the lack of authority to enrich themselves at the expense of the poorest.

Chaos in the Gaza Strip. While humanitarian aid is still trickling in, with fighting and bombings that have intensified since late July, coupled with the lack of security in the enclave, convoys are being attacked because of cigarette smuggling. Since the start of the war, prices have skyrocketed, fueling the black market and violence.

Like almost all men in Gaza, Nabil is a heavy smoker. And since the start of the war, he has obviously had to cut down on his consumption. “I smoke one cigarette a week, he says. A pack of Karelia, before October 7, cost about 20 shekels (about 5 euros), now it costs 4,000 shekels, or 1,000 euros! A box of Karelia that contains, for example, 50 cartridges, that is, 500 packs, costs 380,000 euros. The prices are crazy, people are going crazy. And there is the mafia that manages this.”

Criminal groups are taking advantage of the tobacco shortage and the lack of authority throughout the territory to enrich themselves at the expense of a completely destitute population. According to Andrea De Domenico, the head of the office of the United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian Territories, there is an organized cigarette smuggling operation that uses UN aid convoys to evade Israeli security controls.

“Starting with the operation in Rafah in May, we started to find cartons of cigarettes in the humanitarian aid, notes Andrea De Domenico. The trucks are attacked, but the attackers don’t go for the goods that are loaded in the trucks, they look for something. And after a while, we realized that they were looking for cigarettes. So they had the precise information, namely where to look. It’s attractive to specifically target cigarettes.”

Other rare and therefore expensive products include tents and jerrycans, which are also looted and resold on the black market at a high price.