In the Gaza Strip, furniture is made from humanitarian aid pallets
In the Gaza Strip, Palestine, residents and carpenters are repurposing wooden pallets used to deliver humanitarian and commercial cargo into furniture, market kiosks, classrooms and temporary housing. This practice has become widespread due to a shortage of regular lumber and the high cost of furniture, The National reports.
Twenty-nine-year-old Momen Abu Jarrad, who is preparing for his wedding and furnishing his future home in the Tal al-Hawa area in western Gaza City, said that traditional bedroom sets that survived the war cost more than $5,000. A pallet-wood bedroom furniture set costs about $1,300, less than one-third of the price of a conventional set.
According to Abu Jarrad, pallet furniture has become the choice for many young people and families. He noted that it is a more affordable solution than a traditional set, although such furniture does not match his vision of his future home.
Wood and tools are in short supply
Before the war, carpentry workshops in Gaza worked with various types of imported wood and had equipment for furniture production. Much of the industry has been destroyed: workshops have been damaged or levelled, equipment has been lost, and imports of new materials remain limited.
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Ahmed Abu Khadra, the owner of a carpentry workshop in Gaza City, now works almost entirely with pallet wood. According to him, one pallet, which cost about five shekels before the war, is now sold for 70–100 shekels, or $23–$33. Despite this, demand is growing as families need beds, wardrobes, desks, shelves and chairs.
Carpenters dismantle pallets by hand, remove nails, trim uneven boards, sand them and assemble finished products. Abu Khadra named the high cost of electricity and a shortage of tools and equipment, including saws, among the main difficulties. A wardrobe for two people costs about $330, while a desk costs around $130.
Pallets for temporary housing
Some displaced Palestinians use pallets for more than furniture. Thirty-six-year-old Mohammed Farwana from Deir al-Balah is building a one-room house from them after two and a half years of living in tents. He began construction two months ago and plans to complete it this month, explaining his decision by the difficult living conditions in a tent, especially ahead of winter rains.
