GAZA, May 7 (Xinhua) -- In a makeshift workshop amidst the ruins in western Gaza City, a group of Palestinians are busy breaking down various discarded plastic items and melting them in large metal containers. They're converting the waste into fuel to cope with the shortages caused by Israel's blockade, which has lasted over two months.
"We collect plastic from the rubble, and melt it," the owner of the workshop Saad al-Din Abu Ajwa, 45, told Xinhua, standing beside a fire-heated vessel emitting smoke.
"The process yields a thick grease, which we reheat to extract gasoline and then diesel," he explained.
Operating with the help of his relatives and friends, Abu Ajwa's workshop produces approximately 500 liters of diesel daily.
The fuel is sold directly to residents who line up with containers to power essential equipment, including tuk-tuks, generators, and water pumps.
"The aim is not profit, but survival," Abu Ajwa said. "Fuel is vital for hospitals, ambulances, desalination plants and everything. We had no choice but to start this despite the health and safety risks."
Since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has imposed strict restrictions on the entry of aid supplies into Gaza.
"The drip-feeding of fuel has worsened since March 2, when entry was entirely halted," Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza's Civil Defense, told Xinhua. "The situation is catastrophic."
According to UN agencies, the fuel entering the strip since the start of the war has been minimal, directed mostly to hospitals.
Meanwhile, fuel stations remain closed to the public, forcing residents to turn to improvised alternatives or the black market, where a liter of diesel now costs up to 70 U.S. dollars.
For many residents, locally manufactured diesel has become a temporary lifeline.
Abu Majed Sukar, a 38-year-old tuk-tuk driver, told Xinhua that the closure of crossings had brought public transport to a standstill.
"Without industrial diesel, we'd be using donkey carts," he said. "It would take four hours to make a one-hour journey."
Sukar purchases fuel from Abu Ajwa's workshop every day. He says the cost, around 14 dollars per liter, is still high but significantly cheaper than imported diesel.
"Some vehicles can run entirely on this diesel, but newer models require mixing it with original diesel to avoid engine damage," he said.
He added that the availability of cheaper fuel has reduced transportation costs.
However, the process is not without consequences. Thick black smoke clouds the air above the workshop, and workers labor without gloves or masks, exposing themselves to harmful fumes.
"Many of us have developed respiratory issues -- some are coughing up blood," Mohammed Al-Arabeed, a worker at Abu Ajwa's workshop, told Xinhua. "We are burned and suffocated, but there is no other option."
Despite the dangers, Al-Arabeed sees their work as essential. "This diesel allows hospitals to stay open, and desalination plants to keep running. We're enabling life to continue, even if just barely," he said.
But the source material, plastic waste, is also running out.
"We search destroyed buildings and streets for plastic, but it's disappearing quickly," Abu Ajwa said. "If nothing changes, we'll have to shut down."
The broader humanitarian picture is even dire. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned in a recent statement that the continued closure of crossings risks worsening an already catastrophic situation.
"Fuel, medicine, and food are critically low," the UNRWA said, urging immediate humanitarian access to Gaza.
Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, described the current situation as a race against time.
"Primitive methods like converting plastic into fuel reflect desperation, not sustainability," Al-Thawabta told Xinhua. "There are serious health and environmental concerns, but people are left with no other alternatives."
Back in the workshop, Abu Ajwa continues stirring the molten plastic. Despite the challenges, he said he feels proud of what his team is doing.
"We're not just making fuel -- we're keeping Gaza alive," he said. "We're showing the world our will to survive, even when everything else is gone."
He appealed to the international community for support. "We need fuel, aid, and open crossings. Until that happens, we will continue searching for life among the ruins, no matter the cost." Enditem
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