Inside Gaza’s Dangerous Plastic-to-Fuel Trade: Youth Forced into Hazardous Survival Measures

Amid the rubble and economic collapse south of Gaza City, a makeshift industry has emerged—Palestinian youth are extracting crude fuel by burning plastic waste in open-air metal drums. This precarious trade is not a sign of innovation but a stark indicator of the dire humanitarian crisis fueled by decades of conflict, blockades, and mismanagement. The process is rudimentary and perilous: plastic is collected, melted down in exposed burners that emit thick black smoke, and the resulting crude fuel is bottled and sold cheaply to local consumers who lack access to commercial energy resources. These young workers, many displaced from their...