Al-Masateeh.. Recycled wood to face the furniture crisis in Gaza

With the Israeli occupation preventing the entry of wood, Gazans are resorting to recycling "al-masateeh" (wooden pallets used for transporting goods) to make home and school furniture. The carpentry sector is suffering near-total paralysis, with wood prices rising a hundredfold, workshops closing, and some wood being turned into fuel.

In the Gaza Strip, as the Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of wood and carpentry supplies, residents and carpenters are turning to recycling "al-masateeh" — wooden pallets once used to stack goods and aid during transport — to manufacture home and school furniture. Carpenters dismantle these boards, remove nails, cut and reassemble them into chairs, cabinets, tables, and even beds. Wood merchant Abu Sami Fayyad describes al-masateeh as a vital wood source, with boards selling for 70-100 shekels depending on quality. He notes rising demand as residents return to their homes and try to secure basic needs. Carpenter Muhammad Ramadan explains that wood warehouses are nearly empty, and the war destroyed many workshops, homes, and their furniture. He adds that carpenters buy al-masateeh from traders or residents who collect them, then treat them for reuse. Carpenter Ayman al-Tahrawi describes the sector as reaching "total paralysis," with wood prices rising about a hundredfold. He gives an example of bedrooms that sold for 700-3,000 shekels before the crisis, now costing 3,000-12,000 shekels. The electricity crisis has also forced workshop owners to costly alternatives, leading some to close. According to the Wood Industries Union, 80% of Gaza's production was marketed in Israel and 20% in the West Bank, with about 450 operating facilities before the war.