People are seen at an empty market in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, on Nov. 5, 2024. Markets in central and southern Gaza seemed unusually empty on Tuesday, with only a handful of vendors selling their products at what they claimed were "good" prices.
In a rare protest since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, many locals have chosen to boycott the markets, frustrated by what they perceive as exorbitant pricing. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) GAZA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Markets in central and southern Gaza seemed unusually empty on Tuesday, with only a handful of vendors selling their products at what they claimed were "good" prices.
In a rare protest since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, many locals have chosen to boycott the markets, frustrated by what they perceive as exorbitant pricing. For Mohammed Amer, a displaced resident from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, the decision to strike is a last stand against what he describes as traders' monopolistic practices. "We have launched a comprehensive market strike to protest the traders' monopolization of goods and sky-high prices amid the ongoing Israeli war," said Amer, who joined dozens of others gathered near a Khan Younis market.
The boycott is expected to last several days, with residents considering further actions to press traders for fairer prices. The protest comes amid a staggering 283 percent increase in Gaza's consumer price in.