GAZA, (PIC)
Distances in the Gaza Strip are no longer measured in kilometers, as they were before Israel’s genocide. They are now measured in time, effort and the exhaustion that daily journeys leave on people’s bodies and nerves, after the war turned Gaza’s roads into punishing routes and made movement between cities a long and draining ordeal, even for short trips.
The distance between Deir al-Balah and Gaza City, which once took no more than 15 minutes under normal conditions, now takes two hours or more, a scene that captures the scale of the transformation that has overtaken daily life in the enclave since the start of the war.
A daily journey that drains time and energy
At 9:30 a.m., Mohammad Hajouj, an employee at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, left Deir al-Balah for Gaza City to attend a meeting scheduled for 11:30. The time seemed sufficient in theory, but the Gaza he once knew no longer exists.
When he reached the transport point, all the seats were already full. His only option was to climb onto the rear trailer of the vehicle, known locally as the “Aqla,” after securing a regular seat in a vehicle had become a matter of luck rather than routine.
“Before the aggression, we would leave and arrive quickly,” Hajouj said. “Now, you leave without knowing when you will get there. The seat itself is exhausting, wood, metal and a tarp that protects you from neither heat nor cold. But in the end, there is no alternative.”
He arrived in Gaza City late for his appointment, with another trip still ahead of him inside the city to reach his workplace.
The ‘Aqla’: From emergency fix to daily transport
During the first months of Israel’s assault, the “Aqla” appeared as an emergency solution forced by destruction and fuel shortages. Gradually, however, it became a fixed part of Gaza’s daily landscape, carrying large numbers of passengers between the Strip’s cities and neighborhoods.
Across bulldozed roads, dirt tracks and craters left by bombardment, these journeys have become part of the daily routine imposed on residents, even those who once covered the same distance in a matter of minutes.
Patients and the wounded suffer along the roads
The crisis is not limited to delays. The journey itself leaves people physically drained.
Iman Mulleiq, who was injured during the war and has been undergoing physical therapy since 2024, says the trip to reach treatment has become part of her daily suffering.
“Sometimes I feel the road sets me back,” she said. “Treatment requires rest and stability, but the road is all shaking and jolts. A person arrives exhausted before the day even begins.”
Drivers chase survival, not profit
Drivers, meanwhile, face a more complicated equation: vehicles operating under intense daily pressure, rising costs and constant risks.
Mohammad Abu al-Araj, who works on the Khan Yunis-Gaza route, says his livelihood now depends on whether his vehicle can survive one more day.
“People see the vehicle full and think the driver is making money,” he said. “But if one part breaks, my entire livelihood can stop. Oil is extremely expensive, tires are costly, diesel changes price every day, and sometimes we are forced to use substitutes just to keep the car running.”
Gaza’s transport sector faces layered collapse
Economic analyst Ahmad Abu Qamar says Gaza’s transportation crisis is no longer only about fuel shortages or congestion. It has become a compound crisis affecting infrastructure, purchasing power and the transport sector all at once.
Abu Qamar said Israel’s genocide “has completely reshaped daily movement inside the Gaza Strip,” after main and secondary roads were damaged, the number of working vehicles declined and operating costs rose to unprecedented levels, turning transportation into a daily economic burden for both citizens and drivers.
He said the price of a liter of diesel has risen to around 40 shekels, compared with 6 to 7 shekels before the war, while gasoline has become nearly unavailable in large parts of the enclave.
The price of a single car engine has exceeded 28,000 shekels, compared with around 6,000 before the war, while the cost of industrial oils and spare parts has also surged sharply.
“Using materials that are not designed for vehicles because of shortages of essential supplies increases the likelihood of breakdowns and accidents, especially with destroyed roads and the absence of regular maintenance,” Abu Qamar said.
Figures reveal the scale of the loss
Local estimates show that Gaza had around 88,000 licensed vehicles before the genocide. Current estimates indicate that between 25,000 and 32,000 vehicles have been destroyed or damaged to varying degrees.
The Ministry of Transport and Communications estimated the sector’s losses at more than $3 billion, including roads, vehicles and transport-related facilities. A joint assessment by the European Union, the United Nations and the World Bank placed losses in the transport sector alone at around $3.2 billion.
Cash shortages disrupt transportation
Another crisis has emerged inside Gaza’s transport system: the scarcity of cash. Many passengers now rely on electronic transfers and digital wallets instead of direct payment.
Driver Mohammad al-Danf says part of every journey is now spent waiting for transfers or dealing with network problems.
“Sometimes the passenger transfers money through an app, sometimes they ask a relative to send it, and sometimes the network cuts off and we remain waiting,” he said. “Even payment has become part of the suffering.”
A Gaza that suddenly became wider
As the assault continues, Gaza’s transportation crisis is no longer merely a matter of moving from one city to another. It has become part of the daily pressure that follows people through work, treatment, education and ordinary life.
In Gaza today, roads are no longer measured by kilometers, but by how much they consume people’s time, bodies and lives.