In a displacement camp in central Gaza, 22-year-old Saja al-Masri prepares for her upcoming wedding with a weary expression, arranging her few belongings inside a tent.
Her fiancé, 27-year-old Mohammed Ahliwat, has fashioned their future home from scraps of wood, plastic sheets, and tarpaulin, reports Al Jazeera.
The couple, who have been engaged for a year, are among the many Palestinians forced into displacement by the ongoing war in Gaza. For Mohammed, even this “simple beginning” has proven unbearably expensive due to soaring prices and a collapse of basic living conditions.
“I bought the tent for 1,500 shekels [about $509], the wood cost me around 2,500 [about $850], the tarpaulins exceeded 2,000 [about $679], and a simple bathroom cost another 3,000 [about $1,019],” Mohammed told reporters. Before the war, rental apartments were available for between $250 and $300 a month.
Mohammed, who now works odd jobs such as selling bread or repairing bicycles, previously lived in a seven-storey house in Bureij and owned a fully furnished 170-square-metre apartment. His family also owned poultry farms that supplied several areas in Gaza before their properties were destroyed. “Today, I’m getting married in a tent,” he said bitterly.
The economic crisis in Gaza has seen unemployment reach 80 per cent, according to the Gaza Ministry of Labour, while poverty rates have climbed to 93 per cent. These conditions have stripped weddings of their traditional joy.
Mohammed was unable to afford a wedding hall, which costs more than 8,000 shekels ($2,717), and instead rented a small space formerly used as a cafe for 1,500 shekels.
The financial burden extends to every detail of the ceremony. Saja, a former graphic design student, struggled to find an affordable bridal dress after being quoted rental prices exceeding 2,000 shekels ($679) for a single night. She eventually settled for a worn, outdated dress Mohammed sourced from an acquaintance.
“When I tried the dress yesterday, I felt so sad … I burst into tears,” Saja said. “But there’s nothing we can do. This is what’s available”. Further costs include nearly 700 shekels ($238) for beauty salon services, with vendors citing the high cost of imported cosmetics, fuel, and generator electricity.
Saja’s mother, 49-year-old Samira al-Masri, noted that three of her other daughters were also married off during the war under similar conditions. “Each wedding felt like a tragedy to me,” Samira said, describing the lack of proper clothes, furniture, or even a bed for the brides.
Mohammed noted that bedroom furniture sets, which cost 5,000 shekels before the war, are now priced between 12,000 and 20,000 shekels ($4,076 and $6,793).
Since October 2023, more than 72,000 people have been killed in Gaza. Despite the grim reality and the prospect of moving from one tent to another, Saja finds strength in Mohammed’s presence. “Sometimes, I feel it’s a miserable beginning … but when I see Mohammed with me, I overcome my sadness,” she said.
