Gaza markets going empty: Basic goods dry up as inflation rockets to 700%

Gaza markets going empty: Basic goods dry up as inflation rockets to 700% The escalating costs and scarcity of goods have taken their toll, dissolving markets and shops in the Gaza Strip. What remains are only small-scale traders operating at impromptu markets. A Sputnik correspondent recently visited one of these markets in Khan Yunis, and spoke with vendors and local residents to find out the current situation. “Previously, an instant coffee packet like this cost half a shekel. Now it skyrocketed to 4 shekels. Why? [Because of] the staggering 700 % inflation hike! The markets are empty. There are no basic goods, and prices are extraordinarily high. People can’t buy anything,“ Samir Latif, a local small trader, revealed. The local vendor also pointed out that UNRWA schools can’t seem to provide the Gazans with any help, even with basic goods. Ahmad Qadih, a displaced person looking for temporary shelter in Khan Yunis, asserted that the main reason for the current humanitarian dis... Source: Sputnik International