Young Palestinians in Gaza turn plastic into fuel

South of Gaza City, along the Sea Road that runs beside the Mediterranean, young Palestinians are producing fuel by melting plastic in makeshift burners.

With limited access to commercial fuel, they collect plastic waste, process it in metal drums to extract crude fuel, and then bottle and sell it to passers-by.

The work unfolds in the open air, where black smoke billows from the burners, blanketing the roadside. The area is lined with small tents where the youth store materials and rest between shifts. Horse-drawn carts and pedestrians regularly pass through the smoke-filled stretch, moving between northern and southern Gaza.

Most of those involved in the trade are displaced and have few other sources of income. The fuel they produce is used locally, often for generators or transport, and sold at a lower price than commercial alternatives.

Though the process is simple, it involves long hours and exposure to fumes and open flames. For these youth, 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 Strip are facing starvation and the remainder of the population is suffering from high levels of acute food insecurity, according to a recent report by the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,077 people and wounded 131,848, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.