Gaza residents forced to rely on unstable digital payments amid severe cash shortage

The Gaza economy is grappling with a “cash famine” after Israeli strikes destroyed more than 50 bank branches and numerous cash machines, while strict limits on cash inflows persist. Residents whose original ID cards were buried in rubble cannot open new bank accounts or e-wallets, leaving them with worn-out notes that many vendors refuse. As a result, shoppers such as Firas Zaqloul and student Israa Najm must wait hours for mobile-money confirmations, often hindered by intermittent internet.

Older citizens like Najwa Kahil find digital apps unusable on outdated phones, and buyers like Mohammed Awida must pre-charge devices and match each seller’s preferred payment method. The breakdown of communications has turned shops offering free Wi-Fi into informal market hubs, where street vendors like Abdul Hadi Abu Shaaban rely on transfers to family accounts to complete sales.