Gaza Smokers Turn to Molokhia Cigarettes as Tobacco Shortages Bite
Gaza shortage pushes smokers to molokhia cigarettes – dried molokhia leaves soaked in nicotine. Traders and health experts warn of unknown long-term risks.
The scarcity of imported tobacco and soaring cigarette prices in Gaza have driven a growing number of residents to smoke molokhia cigarettes, a makeshift product made from dried molokhia leaves treated with nicotine solution. This improvised substitute has appeared across city streets, displaced-persons camps and areas of destruction, reflecting both the depth of supply shortages and the lengths people go to preserve familiar habits. Local sellers and buyers describe the shift as a forced adaptation rather than a preference, amid broader economic and humanitarian pressures.
Surge in use across streets and camps
Sales of molokhia cigarettes have increased visibly in Gaza’s urban centres and tented camps, where vendors often display bundles of green-tinged rolls alongside other improvised wares. Observers note that the move toward plant-based substitutes accelerated as the price of conventional cigarettes rose sharply, reportedly increasing by roughly fortyfold from about one shekel (around $0.33) per cigarette before the conflict intensified.
The product’s spread is concentrated in neighborhoods hardest hit by supply chain restrictions and displacement, with informal networks distributing small packets to regular customers. The ubiquity of these makeshift cigarettes highlights how consumer goods shortages are reshaping daily life for civilians in the territory.
How molokhia cigarettes are prepared and sold
Local vendors dry and crush molokhia leaves, then mix the fragments with a liquid claimed to contain nicotine before tightly rolling the mixture in paper to resemble a cigarette. Street sellers often work at mobile stalls or go door-to-door in densely populated areas, offering single sticks or small packs to customers who cannot access or afford commercial tobacco.
The process varies by seller and location, and some producers reportedly use other local herbs in combination with molokhia. Because production is informal and unregulated, the composition and concentration of additives differ widely from batch to batch.
Economic and supply drivers behind the shift
The rise of molokhia cigarettes is closely tied to the collapse of reliable tobacco imports and the broader economic strain caused by prolonged conflict. Border restrictions and limited cargo flows have made many packaged goods scarce or prohibitively expensive, prompting substitution with locally available plant material.
Agricultural constraints also limit the potential for domestic tobacco cultivation. Agencies monitoring Gaza estimate only a small percentage of land is suitable for farming, which restricts any rapid domestic replacement for imported tobacco products. In this context, plant-based alternatives have emerged as a stopgap despite their clear limitations.
Health authorities and experts raise alarm over unknown contents
Medical professionals and public health advocates warn that molokhia cigarettes pose uncertain and potentially serious health risks because their ingredients and contaminants are not tested. Reports indicate that sellers add an unidentified liquid to boost nicotine delivery, but it is unclear whether those fluids contain pure nicotine, industrial mixtures, pesticides or other toxic substances.
Inhalation of smoke from non-tobacco plants, or from plant material treated with industrial chemicals, can produce dangerous compounds when burned. Health services in Gaza, already stretched thin, face challenges in monitoring and responding to illnesses that may be linked to these improvised products.
Personal accounts from smokers and vendors
Sellers describe demand as driven by necessity: many customers prefer conventional cigarettes but cannot obtain them or afford their higher cost. Vendors say they attempt to replicate the sensory cues of smoking by adding nicotine solutions, even while acknowledging the substitute does not deliver the same effect as manufactured tobacco.
Smokers interviewed said they were reluctant users who continued out of habit, stress relief or the physical ritual of smoking. Some reported disliking the taste and smell but felt compelled to continue because of the circumstances they face, including displacement, limited access to goods and daily insecurity.
Calls for testing, aid and public information campaigns
Public health groups and humanitarian organizations are urging measures to reduce harm, including laboratory testing of the substances being smoked, risk communication to the public, and efforts to restore access to regulated tobacco products for those who use them. Experts say testing would clarify whether the liquids used contain nicotine, pesticides or other hazardous chemicals and would inform medical treatment for related conditions.
Humanitarian responders also stress that addressing the root causes — restoring supply lines, rebuilding markets and supporting livelihoods — is essential to prevent reliance on dangerous substitutes. In the short term, robust public awareness campaigns and accessible clinical support are recommended to help people understand the risks and seek care when needed.
The emergence of molokhia cigarettes in Gaza underscores how shortages and conflict reshape ordinary consumer practices and create new public health challenges. As authorities and aid agencies consider responses, residents continue to weigh daily survival against concerns about the long-term effects of what they now smoke.
