Vehicle Losses, Road Damage, Fuel Costs Deepen Gaza's Mobility Challenges

Every morning, 24-year-old software developer Ahmed Zaqout waits at the crowded Saraya intersection in Gaza City, hoping to catch any vehicle that can take him to work, Xinhua reported.

"Most days I wait under the sun or in the rain, hoping a car or tuk-tuk will arrive, but sometimes none comes for more than an hour," he said. "When a vehicle finally shows up, it's overcrowded and unsafe, yet people still rush to get on because they have no other choice."

What used to be a 20-minute trip now often stretches beyond an hour, frequently disrupting his work schedule. Most of the time, he has to share a donkey-drawn cart with other commuters.

Zaqout's experience reflects a broader reality affecting tens of thousands of residents across the Gaza Strip, where extensive road damage from Israeli military operations, a scarcity of vehicles, and soaring fuel prices have severely disrupted daily mobility.

More than three million linear meters of roads have been destroyed, according to Anis Arafat, spokesperson for Gaza's transportation authorities.

He added that about 55,000 vehicles, or around 60 percent of all licensed vehicles in Gaza, were destroyed in military operations.

The Hamas-run government media office reported that initial losses in the transportation sector have reached 2.8 billion U.S. dollars.

In some neighborhoods, animal-drawn carts have become the primary means of transportation, especially where streets remain clogged with rubble or riddled with deep potholes from repeated bombardment.

Tawfiq al-Aasi, a 37-year-old architect from Gaza City, told Xinhua that the situation has upended daily life for nearly all residents.

"I walk most days, even long distances, because many vehicles are unsafe or simply unavailable, and transportation costs are very high for families already struggling financially," he said.

"You cannot plan your day as you used to. A simple errand that once took 10 minutes may now take an hour or more, depending on whether you can find transportation," he added.

For drivers, the war has reshaped their livelihoods. Mohammed Al-Khaldi, a 50-year-old driver with 25 years of experience, said the current conditions are unlike anything he has seen before.

Diesel now costs around 30 U.S. dollars per liter, far beyond what most drivers can afford, he said.

"Many drivers have stopped working, and those who continue have to take more passengers than usual just to cover fuel expenses," he said.

Gaza-based economic analyst Ahmed Abu Qamar said the challenges in the transportation sector have broad implications for the local economy.

"Transportation is essential for commerce, access to services, and daily life," he said. "The destruction of vehicles and roads has driven up unemployment among drivers and raised the overall cost of living. Families now spend much more just to get from one place to another."

Abu Qamar added that the growing reliance on unsafe, improvised transportation also poses daily risks for local residents. "People continue to use these methods because they have no alternatives, but the dangers remain significant."