Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoGAZA / TRANSPORTATION SECTOR COLLAPSES
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: GAZA / TRANSPORTATION SECTOR COLLAPSES
TRT: 09:20
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: UNIFEED
LANGUAGES: ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 14 JULY 2025, GAZA CITY
1. Various shots, crowded tents, infrastructure destruction, Al-Rasheed Street, west of Gaza City
2. Various shots, various modes of transportation used by residents, others walk, Al-Rasheed Street
3. Various shots, major transportation hub known as "Al-Saraya Junction," central Gaza City
4. Various shots, carts pulled by cars, three-wheeled motorcycles used by citizens as means of transport despite high rental costs
5. Various shots, Hussein Al-Hamarnah waiting inside vehicle, preparing to head south within the Gaza Strip
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hussein Al-Hamarnah, Palestinian:
"We are facing a transportation crisis. Prices are extremely high, and there's no safety. It often takes an entire day just to complete a single task. Amid soaring costs, most transport options are uncomfortable, like tuk-tuks or carts that were originally designed to carry goods or animals, not people. These are some of the problems we deal with when it comes to transportation."
7. Various shots, carts being pulled by cars, destroyed street filled with sewage water, passengers
8. Various shots, Umm Haitham Al-Kulluk sitting in three-wheeled motorcycle used as public transport
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Umm Haitham Al-Kulluk, Palestinian:
"Transportation is extremely difficult and rent is incredibly high. Prices have completely changed since the war. People can barely afford food—how are they supposed to pay for transport? Most of our movements are on foot; we can’t afford to ride. God help the drivers too—fuel prices are soaring, and the entire population is exhausted and helpless."
10. Various shots, fuel vendors selling at inflated prices, with diesel reaching up to 100 shekels per liter
11. Various shots, Abdel Karim Abu Asi waiting at major transport hub, Gaza City
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdel Karim Abu Asi, driver:
"A liter of diesel now costs 100 shekels—what are we supposed to do? We try to use locally made fuel, but it causes serious damage to our cars and brings many problems. We're just trying to keep going."
13. Various shots, driver refueling his vehicle with locally made fuel
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdel Karim Abu Asi, driver:
"Spare parts are insanely expensive. A part that used to cost 100 shekels now costs 2,000. We’re dealing with ruined streets, and even though the municipalities try to fix them, it doesn’t help much—they need dozens of bulldozers to clear them. People need help with transportation, rent, and many other things."
15. Various shots, people walking or riding in worn-out vehicles pulling carts, Al-Rasheed Street
16. Various shots, vehicles destroyed, streets, Gaza City
17. Various shots, carts pulled by vehicles, destroyed, sewage-flooded streets
18. Various shots, Mohammad Saad, displaced person from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, sitting in cart being pulled by car on his way west
19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammad Saad, displaced person:
"Transportation is very difficult and unsafe. The roads are exhausting, and nothing works in this country. We pray for patience and hope to return to our homes."
20. Various shots, people on foot or riding in worn-out, cart-pulling vehicles, Al-Rasheed Street
21. Tracking shots, movement of three-wheeled motorcycles
22. Various shots, families using car-pulled carts to move between the southern and northern parts of Gaza
23. Moving shots, car pulling cart used for transporting passengers through Gaza’s streets
24. Various shots, young man Taysir Abu Asr working as conductor on one of the vehicles pulling carts
25. Various shots, vehicles pulling carts, infrastructure destruction, destroyed and burnt-out vehicles left on roadsides
Along Al-Rasheed Street in western Gaza City, tents line the road beside the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Carts pulled by dilapidated vehicles and three-wheeled motorcycles move slowly through devastation.
Amid unprecedented fuel prices and a systematically destroyed infrastructure, Palestinians in Gaza are facing a crippling transportation crisis.
The daily struggle forces many to walk long distances under the blazing summer sun.
“We’re facing a real transportation crisis,” says Hussein Al-Hamarnah as he waits to board an old vehicle heading south.
“Prices are extremely high, transport is unsafe and uncomfortable, and we waste entire days trying to accomplish one task. We’re forced to use tuk-tuks or carts meant for cargo, because they’re the only option for people without cars.”
Now entering its second year, the Israeli blockade has banned the entry of fuel and spare vehicle parts, causing fuel prices to skyrocket and giving rise to a black market on the roadsides.
When available, diesel sells for around 100 shekels per liter (about $27 USD).
Some drivers resort to using locally made fuel, despite the heavy damage it inflicts on their vehicles.
“We’re just trying to survive,” says Abdel Karim Abu Asi, a driver in Gaza.
“Fuel is 100 shekels a liter, and parts that once cost 100 are now 2,000. We're forced to use low-quality fuel, and the roads are completely destroyed.”
The impact extends beyond drivers. Soaring transportation costs have made movement nearly impossible for many families.
“Transport is very difficult and unaffordable,” says Umm Haitham Al-Kulluk while riding a tuk-tuk.
“People can’t even afford food—how can they pay for transportation? We walk most places now.”
The situation is even more dire for the displaced, many of whom live in tents or shelters. “Transport is unsafe, the roads are exhausting—there’s nothing good left here,” says Mohammad Saad, displaced from Beit Lahia.
“We pray to return to our homes soon.”
In the heart of Gaza City, at Al-Saraya Junction—once a bustling transport hub—the scene now resembles a makeshift station.
Young men stand on carts shouting for passengers, reflecting the collapse of the public transport system.
“We’re trying to help people get around,” says Taysir Abu Asr, working as a conductor on one of the makeshift vehicles.
“These carts have become our only option after the buses and taxis were destroyed.”
According to local reports, months of war have decimated Gaza’s transport infrastructure.
Thousands of vehicles have been destroyed or severely damaged in the bombing.
