Portable gas stoves make cooking safer for people displaced in Gaza

Mohamed* and his wife have been living in a tent for over a year, ever since the Israeli military destroyed their house in Gaza. Cooking over a fire has been their only option while they have been displaced. 

After their son was born, they were forced to heat up bottles for him over the fire, including in the middle of the night.

Because of a distribution from Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC) local partner in Gaza, they now have a portable gas stove they can use instead. 

The gas stove is safer to use than an open fire, Mohamed says, because the fire attracts unwanted attention from the military. “A lot of people were targeted because they lit a fire at night,” he says.

They are among 700 recipients of portable gas stoves that Al-Najd Developmental Forum (Al-Najd) distributed in April. Al-Najd purchased the stoves in Gaza with funds from MCC.

Most Palestinans in Gaza had gas stoves in their houses before this war but have been forced to use open fires for cooking and heat while they are displaced. Gas stoves are expensive, and people have few job options due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and bombardment of Gaza. 

Hajja*, another recipient with multiple children, says she is grateful for the gas stove she received because the smoke she inhaled while cooking over an open fire has made her sick. Her breathing problems cause her to cough until she is dizzy and spits up blood. 
 

Because of Israel’s tight restrictions on bringing humanitarian relief into Gaza, Al-Najd must purchase from supplies that are available locally, even though prices are inflated and inventory is limited. They are currently working on a distribution of children’s clothing that was purchased within Gaza.

When Israel loosens its restrictions, MCC is prepared to bring 4,000 family-size packages of food stored in Jordan into Gaza for Al-Najd to distribute.

“The organization, God bless them,” Mohamed says. “They made things easier for us by supplying the gas cylinder (stove). Hopefully things will move forward and get better. May God bless you all for the efforts you made.”

MCC invites you to donate to its ongoing humanitarian response in Gaza and to urge legislators in Canada and the U.S. to support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. 

To contact legislators in Canada, visit mcc.org/campaign/canadas-toolkit-peace-gaza. In the U.S. visit mcc.org/campaign/continue-call-peace-and-restoration-gaza.

*(Full names are not used for security reasons.)