Gaza Strip - In Akram Abu Ghaben's hole-in-the wall grocery, cigarettes are no longer sold by the pack. Skyrocketing prices -- a result of Israel's economic sanctions on Gaza following the Hamas takeover in June -- have pushed cigarettes out of the reach of many smokers. In a tension-filled place where a pack of Marlboros is a badge of manliness and smoking is common, even in hospitals and elevators, many are now forced to face their addiction. Some have quit, while others are reluctantly cutting back, cursing Israel for keeping most cigarettes out and the Hamas government for clamping high taxes on whatever gets through.
Mahmoud Zahar, a stern Hamas ideologue and physician, said he's not moved by the smokers' complaints.
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Whatever the politics, grocer Abu Ghaben and his customers are trying to adjust to the price hike, on some brands as much as 250 percent since June. A pack of Lucky Strikes has gone from $2.50 in June to $6.25. That's far more than what most Gazans can afford after 19 months of international sanctions against Hamas. About two-thirds of Gaza's 1.4 million people live on less than $2 a day.
Abu Ghaben's tobacco wares are displayed in a glass case protected by wire mesh outside his grocery. He said he is mostly selling individual cigarettes these days. The cheapest are those he rolls himself, using loose tobacco and a small hand-held machine. Young children buy for their dads, usually handing him a shekel (25 cents) for two cigarettes. One step up are the cheap Egyptian brands, which cost 40 cents a pair.
