Food Is Less Expensive In Gaza, But It Remains Out Of Reach For The Poorest Citizens.

Food prices in the Gaza Strip have dropped, but residents say many Palestinians in the enclave are unemployed and lack the funds to purchase goods, even if they are cheaper.

Since a border crossing with Egypt was closed earlier this month, the majority of goods in Gaza now come from Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Those coming from the West Bank and Israel have to pass through two checkpoints, one near the West Bank town of Hebron and another at the Kerem Shalom border crossing that links Israel with the Gaza Strip.

Search operations are not as strict at Kerem Shalom as at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

The Bank of Palestine opened one of its branches in the Gaza Strip, which allowed some people to withdraw money.

International officials have said that all 2.3 million Gaza residents are struggling to find food to eat, and 1.1 million are facing catastrophic levels of food shortage.

The deepening Israeli offensive in the southern city of Rafah has made it impossible for aid shipments to get through the crossing there, which is a key source for fuel and food coming into Gaza.

On Friday, residents of the Gaza Strip reported that vegetables, fruits, sugar, and other products are available at lower prices.

However, many Palestinians have lost their jobs and depleted their savings since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war in October, leaving them unable to meet their basic needs.