{"id":16201,"date":"2025-04-20T20:30:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T20:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watanserb.com\/en\/?p=16201"},"modified":"2025-04-20T20:30:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T20:30:54","slug":"gazas-shadow-economy-how-war-sparked-a-new-wave-of-survival-professions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.watanserb.com\/en\/2025\/04\/20\/gazas-shadow-economy-how-war-sparked-a-new-wave-of-survival-professions\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza\u2019s Shadow Economy: How War Sparked a New Wave of Survival Professions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watan<\/strong><\/em>-In one corner of the bustling Khan Younis market, Amjad Nassar, an administrative employee at the Islamic University, sits behind a small stall. He\u2019s not selling anything new\u2014but rather bringing things back to life. In his hands are torn, faded, punctured, and misshapen banknotes. But he doesn\u2019t see them that way. To him, they\u2019re like paintings awaiting their final touches.<\/p>\n

Since the war began on October 7, 2023, banks in Gaza have shut down, and normal financial life has come to a halt. No new currency has entered the region, so old banknotes continue to circulate until they\u2019re completely worn out and rejected by merchants. That\u2019s how Amjad\u2019s journey with money began.
He explains, \u201cThe money was fine at the start of the war, but due to the closures and lack of alternatives, people kept using the same bills until they completely deteriorated.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Gaza
Children Killed by Israeli Strike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Administrator Who Brought Currency Back to Life<\/h3>\n

In the early days of the crisis, some people tried printing counterfeit money and even used parts of it to patch up original notes. But the method didn\u2019t work\u2014those patched-up bills were rejected in the market. So Amjad decided to try something else. He brought out transparent adhesive tape, cut paper to match the color of the currency, and began carefully reconstructing bills\u2014like performing delicate surgery.<\/p>\n

Smiling, Amjad displays a 100-shekel note perforated by shrapnel. \u201cI\u2019ll fix this using pieces from other bills that are too damaged to use,\u201d he says. He uses clear tape that doesn\u2019t cover the numbers, carefully matches the colors, and occasionally uses scraps stored in his small workshop.
At first, he didn\u2019t charge for the service. But as demand grew and the cost of tape rose from 1 shekel to 10, he had to dedicate himself full-time. Now, he charges just 2 shekels to repair a 100-shekel note.
The number of customers has soared from about 20 per day to over 100.<\/p>\n

Amjad doesn\u2019t see himself as merely a currency repairman\u2014he sees his work as a message. \u201cI hope traders will accept these repaired notes, and that they\u2019ll be usable in the West Bank, where there\u2019s no banking crisis or cash shortage.\u201d
He advises people not to wash coins with soap and water as it increases corrosion, and encourages them to go to professionals like himself. In both the north and south of Gaza, this new trade of money restoration has truly become a real profession.<\/p>\n

When Money Needs Saving<\/h3>\n

No one ever imagined that Gaza would become a place where people restore paper currency. In a world where money is printed in vast quantities and replaced without a second thought, this profession might seem surreal. But in Gaza, it\u2019s now a necessity.<\/p>\n

After more than a year and a half under siege and a complete halt in the flow of new currency, the cash shortage has worsened. People have been using the same bills for months, and wear and tear is a harsh reality. Many merchants have begun rejecting damaged bills, creating a genuine need for practical, even artistic, solutions to make them acceptable again.<\/p>\n

And so a previously unimaginable profession was born. Today, dozens of people like Amjad Nassar work in this trade\u2014repairing money with dedication, bringing life back to worn-out paper that still holds its value. In their hands, torn bills become symbols of a people\u2019s resilience\u2014proof that even the smallest parts of life are worth fighting for.<\/p>\n

\"At
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beneath the Ashes of Lighters<\/h3>\n

Just steps away from Amjad\u2019s stall, in the opposite corner of the Khan Younis market, Bilal Arafat sits at a table cluttered with dozens of cigarette lighters\u2014some broken, others simply out of gas. His job? Lighter repair.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you told me before the war that I\u2019d be fixing lighters, I would\u2019ve laughed,\u201d he says. \u201cThey used to sell four lighters for one shekel. Who would bother fixing them?\u201d But war changed everything.<\/p>\n

A lighter that once got tossed aside now holds the value of a precious item. Its price has jumped from a quarter shekel to ten\u2014forty times more. So has the need to fix or refill them with gas.<\/p>\n

Bilal, who used to work in a completely different field, found himself facing two choices: stay unemployed or adapt to the new reality. He began collecting spare lighter parts from the market and learned basic gas refilling techniques from informal experts.
\u201cA customer can get their lighter fixed or refilled for half the price of a new one,\u201d Bilal says, while holding a small refill needle. A short line forms at his stall\u2014some people carry multiple lighters, treating them like treasures that must not be wasted.<\/p>\n

Necessity or Invention?<\/h3>\n

These two jobs aren\u2019t just temporary fixes\u2014they\u2019re reflections of Gaza\u2019s new reality. A reality reshaping daily life and birthing professions born directly from the crisis.<\/p>\n

Currency and lighter repair are two sides of the same coin: creativity born from scarcity. When supply lines are cut, banks are closed, systems collapse, and poverty spreads, Gazans don\u2019t stand still. They innovate, adapt, and build a small economy from scraps.<\/p>\n

On Gaza\u2019s streets, money is transported in plastic bags, and lighters are stashed in pockets like lifelines. Everything has regained its value. Nothing is discarded lightly anymore. Nothing is considered trivial.<\/p>\n

\"Red
Isreli war crimes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Innovation for Survival<\/h3>\n

Amid tragedy, the resilience and ingenuity of Palestinians shine. This ability to adapt is nothing new\u2014but in a time of siege and war, it has become even more evident. New trades like money and lighter repair are simply expressions of the deep will to survive.<\/p>\n

Abu Mohammed, a merchant in Deir al-Balah, explains: \u201cYes, sometimes it\u2019s hard for me to accept a patched-up note or a repaired lighter. But I understand the situation. We\u2019re not living under normal conditions, and everyone\u2019s just trying to get by.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Samir Abu Modallala, an economics professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, says, \u201cIn times like these, what emerges is known as an \u2018emergency economy,\u2019 where people reuse and repair available tools and currency to survive. These skills aren\u2019t just about getting by\u2014they represent a kind of collective self-reliance that goes beyond mere consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cRepairing a lighter or a banknote isn\u2019t a simple act\u2014it\u2019s a small economic process that helps maintain financial and social circulation in a besieged society. That\u2019s why these practices have a developmental value that should be recognized and documented.\u201d<\/p>\n

War Creates a Shadow Economy<\/h3>\n

Dr. Maher Al-Tabbaa, an economic analyst at the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, points out that the economic conditions caused by the blockade and war have forced Gazans to build an alternative economy rooted in survival and innovation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are witnessing a shadow economy that emerged out of necessity,\u201d he says, \u201cwhere formal institutions are absent, and the capacity to import or export is gone. Individuals are left to create their own means of living.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continues, \u201cThe extreme price increases in Gaza during the war, coupled with the lack of fresh cash, have pushed people to accept any product or service offered at a lower price. That\u2019s why professions like lighter and currency repair have gained traction\u2014because they meet urgent needs using low-cost tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Al-Tabbaa believes these trades could evolve into a thriving informal sector, providing jobs for those who lost traditional employment and reshaping the local economy in the absence of state structures.
\u201cWhat stands out in Gaza,\u201d he concludes, \u201cis that adaptation isn\u2019t just an individual behavior\u2014it\u2019s a collective mindset that deepens the longer the crisis lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Watan-In one corner of the bustling Khan Younis market, Amjad Nassar, an administrative employee at the Islamic University, sits behind a small stall. He\u2019s not selling anything new\u2014but rather bringing things back to life. In his hands are torn, faded, punctured, and misshapen banknotes. But he doesn\u2019t see them that way. To him, they\u2019re like …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16202,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[4954,903],"class_list":["post-16201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reports","tag-banks-in-gaza","tag-israeli-war-on-gaza"],"yoast_head":"\nGaza\u2019s Shadow Economy: How War Sparked a New Wave of Survival Professions - Watan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In war-torn Gaza, citizens have turned to creative trades like currency and lighter repair to survive amid economic collapse.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.watanserb.com\/en\/2025\/04\/20\/gazas-shadow-economy-how-war-sparked-a-new-wave-of-survival-professions\/\" \/>\n<meta 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