The Ghost List of Banned Products
Dima Awad, a 48-year-old mother, is racing to move her family out of a makeshift tent before winter arrives. She rented a small garage in western Gaza, but her relocation is stalled by a surprising obstacle: the lack of a toilet seat. This simple household item is currently barred from entering the besieged enclave.
„I paid rent ten days ago and have spent two weeks searching for a decent toilet at a reasonable price,”says Awad. She lives with her only son, as her husband is away receiving medical treatment. Finding a new toilet seat is nearly impossible, and used ones are prohibitively expensive. Due to the severe shortage, prices have soared to between 1,500 and 2,000 shekels, roughly $486 to $648.
„We did everything to leave the tent and avoid the rain,”Awad explains. „But the garage has no toilet, so we must build one ourselves.”While she finds the 600-shekel monthly rent manageable, the cost of a toilet seat is more than double that amount.
Since the 2007 blockade began, Israel has restricted goods labeled as „dual-use,”claiming they could serve military purposes. This list initially included construction materials, water pumps, electrical equipment, medical devices, and wheelchairs.
Since the 2007 blockade began
During the first two years of the conflict starting in October 2023, Israel sealed border crossings. This severely limited food, medicine, and fuel. Although the October 2025 ceasefire agreement was meant to lift these restrictions, massive barriers remain. Aid workers now refer to these opaque, unpublished bans as a „ghost list.”Restrictions extend to mundane items like batteries, lighters, and children's toys. Imad Sersawi, a 45-year-old father from Shujaiya, notes that a simple lighter is now a luxury. „People borrow my lighter because they are so rare,”he says. „A single unit costs 90 shekels, about $29.” The Gradual Disappearance of Goods
Sersawi describes a market where availability changes daily. „One day you find something, the next it is banned and disappears for who knows how long,”he explains.
He has not bought toys for his five children since the conflict began. Before the ceasefire, his children begged for toys, but he promised they would have them once the war ended. Today, toy stores only sell pre-war stock at astronomical prices. „I cannot pay 100 shekels, or $32, for a small rubber balloon,”he says. „That money could feed my family for two days.”Israel has not published an updated list of dual-use items since 2017. Meanwhile, hundreds of goods have been added to the ban without public notice. Merchants and aid organizations are forced to navigate this opaque system blindly, leaving Gaza’s population to suffer the consequences of these arbitrary restrictions.