Gaza’s transportation system is collapsing under the weight of unprecedented fuel shortages and skyrocketing prices, a direct consequence of Israel’s ongoing siege. Diesel now costs more than 100 shekels a litre, over fifteen times its pre-war price, forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles and leaving residents with few options to travel.

With crossings almost entirely sealed since early March, Israel allows in only a fraction of the Strip’s fuel needs, reserved exclusively for hospitals and emergency services. Most drivers are left to rely on hazardous, low-quality diesel produced locally by burning plastic and other waste, damaging engines and threatening public health. Damaged roads and a near-total ban on spare parts imports have compounded the paralysis, pushing many to walk long distances in extreme heat or simply stay home.

Economists warn that the transportation collapse is fuelling a broader economic freefall, driving up the cost of goods and services and pushing poverty to catastrophic levels. They argue that only the immediate lifting of the siege, full fuel access, and the restoration of Gaza’s infrastructure can prevent the total breakdown of mobility, and with it, the daily life of an entire population.