On the streets of war-torn Gaza, the familiar hum of cars has almost disappeared. In their place, a tableau reminiscent of decades past unfolds: wooden carts drawn by exhausted horses, rickety tuk-tuks (three-wheeled, motor-powered vehicles), and motorcycles rushing along rubble-strewn avenues.
Fuel shortages, skyrocketing prices, and war damage have decimated private and public transportation, forcing Palestinians in Gaza to rely on the most rudimentary means to move from one place to another.
Before the war, Gaza's streets were crowded but functional. According to 2023 data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Transportation, the Strip counted around 88,000 licensed vehicles, nearly 19 per cent of all vehicles in Palestine.
Daily traffic consisted of approximately 80,000 cars navigating congested streets, despite the limited infrastructure, according to the data.
Today, the roads lie in ruins, fuel is scarce, and most vehicles have stopped running, replaced by precarious alternatives that reveal the scale of collapse.
At a destroyed intersection in Gaza City, Mohammed Abdel Basset, 35, waits for a ride to work. He rises earlier than ever, hoping to beat the queues, yet the scene remains unchanged: lines of people, broken tuk-tuks, and wobbling wooden carts pulled by frail horses.
"We suffer greatly from transportation problems […] Honestly, words cannot describe what we are going through. Prices are astronomical, and there is no safety at all. You can wait for hours for a tuk-tuk or cart that might never come. Sometimes, you have to change your route entirely," he told The New Arab.
For Basset, the trip that once took ten minutes can now consume an entire day. "There is no time, no rest, no security," he said.
"The current means of transportation are neither comfortable nor safe. Tuk-tuks and carts were not built for people navigating streets full of potholes and debris. At any moment, you feel like you could fall. You're constantly thinking about your life, about surviving each trip," he added.
Emad al-Ashi, another Gaza-based resident, explained to TNA how the crisis has reshaped his professional and personal life.
"Every morning, I wake up before dawn. Work has become a struggle. Sometimes I miss appointments because no transportation is available, and even if you manage to leave, there is no guarantee you'll arrive on time," he described.
"Our lives are trapped in this cycle against our will […] We cannot work properly, and life itself has become a burden," he added. "Every day feels like we are going backwards, not just in transportation but in daily dignity. Everyone is exhausted… There is no escape," he continued.
In the bustling al-Zawia market in Gaza, Umm Ibrahim al-Jarou carries vegetables on her shoulder, her steps slowed by the heat and rubble. Walking has become the only viable choice for many Gazans.
"Transportation is nearly impossible. Prices have soared, and people barely have enough to eat. How could they afford to travel? We spend hours walking under the sun and over broken streets," she said to TNA.
"Sometimes, we stop for a few minutes, trying to catch our breath. A week ago, she had to see her sick daughter. No transportation was available. She walked for over an hour through rubble and scorching heat, carrying heavy bags with her child beside me. "By the time I arrived, I was exhausted and barely able to stand," she added.
"Diesel costs US$35 a litre. How are we supposed to operate? Cars cannot move without fuel, and we need to feed our families," Sami al-Harazin, a local driver, told TNA about his own daily nightmare.
"We have resorted to industrial diesel, which damages the engines. Spare parts are extremely expensive; what used to cost US$35 now costs US$1,000," he said.
"Roads are full of rubble, potholes, and abandoned vehicles. The municipality cannot help. Every day feels impossible, and we fear accidents at every turn," he added.
This is why passengers are frustrated, engines break down, he explained, saying, "We try to survive. Every day passes in struggle, and sometimes you lose hope."
For some families, animal-drawn carts are essential.
Mariam al-Sadiq from Gaza City describes her daily journey, saying, "The roads are treacherous. We jolt over debris and potholes. Riding these vehicles feels like stepping back decades. We can only hope one day this will be resolved, and we can regain our dignity."
Israel's genocidal war brought widespread destruction to Gaza's transportation infrastructure. There are no official statistics regarding the total number of destroyed vehicles; however, local estimates suggest that between 25,000 and 32,000 cars, trucks, taxis, and tankers were damaged/destroyed, compared with roughly 88,000 vehicles licensed before the war.
This has led to the near-total collapse of Gaza's transport system, making animal carts and dilapidated tuk-tuks symbols of a humanitarian crisis that now touches nearly two million residents.