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South of Gaza City, along the sea road which runs next to the Mediterranean, the young Palestinians produce fuel by melting plastic in makeshift burners.
With limited access to commercial fuel, they collect plastic waste, treat it in metal drums to extract raw fuel, then bottle them and sell them to passers -by.
The work takes place in the open air, where black smoke rises from the burners, covering the side of the road. The area is doubled with small tents where young people store the equipment and rest between the quarter of work. The carts and pedestrians drawn by horses regularly pass through the stretch filled with smoke, moving between the north and the south of Gaza.
Most of the people involved in the trade are moved and have a few other sources of income. The fuel they produce is used locally, often for generators or transport, and sold at a price lower than that of commercial alternatives.
Although the process is simple, it involves long hours and exposure to smoke and open flames. For these young people, it has become a way to earn money and support their families in a difficult and unstable environment.
Half a million people in the Gaza Famine and the rest of the population suffer from high levels of acute food insecurity, according to a recent report in the integrated classification of the Food Security phase (IPC) of the UN.
The War of Israel against Gaza killed at least 56,077 people and injured 131,848, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
