How a simple lighter has become the backbone of life in Gaza

What the report says

In Gaza City and other displaced communities, a basic lighter has become an unexpectedly vital item as families struggle to cook, boil water and heat food amid shortages of cooking gas, fuel and other essentials. Al Jazeera reported on Aug. 16, 2026, that residents say the ability to start a fire can determine whether a household eats a hot meal or goes hungry.

The article centers on several Gazans coping with the shortage. Rabab Deifallah, a mother of five in a tent in Gaza City, relies on a repaired lighter to ignite firewood for bread, tea and cooking. She and others say new lighters now cost far more than most families can afford, so people pass one lighter between tents, borrow sparks from neighbors or use cardboard to carry fire back to their shelters. Another displaced resident, Hasnaa Mansour, bakes food to sell and has repeatedly repaired her lighter because replacing it is beyond reach.

Al Jazeera linked the shortage to the wider effects of Israel’s siege on Gaza. The report cited the UN humanitarian office and Gaza’s Chamber of Commerce in describing limits on goods entering the territory and rising prices for basic supplies. Those conditions have also created a small repair trade, with people such as Tamer Al-Shawish salvaging parts from broken lighters to keep them working.

The article highlights how ordinary objects can become essential under prolonged conflict and restricted supplies, and how daily life in Gaza increasingly depends on improvised solutions for basic needs.