Gaza vehicles and trucks struggle with shortage of spare parts and oils

Vehicles and trucks in the Gaza Strip face a severe crisis due to a shortage of spare parts, oils, tires, and batteries, with prices rising unprecedentedly, threatening to put large numbers of them out of service. The sector relies on the remaining transport fleet to move aid, goods, water, and food supplies, as well as transporting patients and providing humanitarian services. Driver Khaled Aslih says earning an income from working on vehicles has become extremely difficult, explaining that the biggest problems are the unavailability of necessary spare parts for his Mercedes 7-seater vehicle, along with the sharp rise in prices of oils and maintenance materials. Deputy head of the Gaza Vehicle Importers Association, Wael Al-Helis, confirms that battery prices have jumped significantly; before the war they ranged between 300 and 500 shekels, today they range between 4,000 and 6,000 shekels. He adds that the price of a liter of oil before the war did not exceed tens of shekels, while today it has risen to between 2,000 and 3,000 shekels. He points to rising tire prices, explaining that the price of a single tire before the war ranged between 150 and 500 shekels, while today it has reached about 10,000 shekels. Al-Helis warns that the continued shortage of oils and spare parts could lead to more vehicles going out of service. Deputy head of the Gaza Private Transport Companies Owners Association, Jihad Aslim, says the association is following with concern the acute shortage of fuel, oils, and spare parts, noting that trucks are a key link in transporting goods and food supplies. Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has imposed strict restrictions on the entry of these goods.