With no humanitarian aid allowed in since early March, Gaza’s desperate residents are turning to decades-old kerosene camping stoves to cook and survive. These brass relics, last used widely during the Gulf War, have become lifelines in a territory suffocating under a total blockade. Without fuel, wood, or gas, families have had no choice but to revive these vintage cookers—often using makeshift fuel blends of engine oil and heating fuel in the absence of kerosene.

Under the unrelenting buzz of drones overhead, residents like Mohamed Moslem demonstrate how these century-old stoves work, relying on parts inherited from his father’s long-shuttered workshop. “These screws are 50 years old. You won’t find them on any market,” he says, his voice tinged with pride and sorrow. The stoves now fetch up to 400 shekels—a small fortune in Gaza, where unemployment and hunger are rampant.

Aid agencies have long stopped serving hot meals due to the lack of gas. But the will to survive persists. “I brought this old stove back because it needs fewer supplies, and it’s healthier,” says Abou Zaki. “We’re under occupation and things only get worse. I’ll keep it close—until the war ends, if it ever does.”

Meanwhile, negotiations between Israel and Hamas have reached an impasse, with neither side willing to compromise. The Israeli army controls about 30% of Gaza, and no humanitarian trucks have entered in over six weeks. The dire humanitarian toll continues to grow, as the fate of dozens of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza seems to carry little urgency in the political calculus.

As Gaza becomes increasingly uninhabitable, its people rely not on the promises of peace, but on the memory of flame.