Gaza Toy Prices Triple as Import Restrictions Hit Eid
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- Gaza's toy markets face acute shortages ahead of Eid, with prices up to 300% higher than pre-war levels and most toys now entering through unofficial smuggling routes rather than the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) commercial crossing
- Rania al-Saudi, a displaced mother from Shujayea, could not afford dolls for her two daughters — a doll that cost 15 shekels ($5) before the war now sells for 60 shekels ($20), and she was also unable to buy new Eid clothes
- Toy vendor Anwar al-Huwaity, a 20-year industry veteran, said his Eid holiday sales have collapsed from a pre-war range of $6,500–$10,000 to roughly $1,000, and that he has 'started hating my workday' watching children ask for toys their parents cannot afford
- Middlemen charge up to 12,000 shekels ($3,870) for a small toy shipment, sometimes hidden inside clothes or other goods, and traders absorb the full loss if a shipment is confiscated or destroyed
- Since the October 2025 ceasefire, conditions have improved but Israel continues to heavily restrict non-essential commercial goods, effectively making toys nearly impossible to import officially — a small toy car jumped from 40 shekels ($13) to 150 shekels ($48), and a ball from 3 to 30 shekels
- The United Nations has noted that restrictions on commercial goods, including toys, have affected the availability of both essential and non-essential goods in Gaza, even though no explicit ban on toys exists
Why it matters: For Gaza's displaced families, the toy shortage strips Eid of even modest traditions like new clothes and gifts, compounding the psychological toll on children who have already lost homes, possessions, and playthings to bombardment. For veteran vendors like Anwar, the collapse from $6,500–$10,000 in seasonal revenue to roughly $1,000 threatens the livelihoods of the few remaining non-essential businesses — and the UN's acknowledgment that recreational goods restrictions affect broader supply signals that Israel's humanitarian-prioritization framework is leaving quality-of-life needs unmet.
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