Molokhia cigarettes: Gaza’s toxic alternative to tobacco

The use of Molokhia mixed with nicotine has become common as street vendors try to get by.What was once a modest source of income before the war has become increasingly unstable because of Israeli restrictions on imports into Gaza.Israel has not allowed tobacco products into Gaza since the start of its war on the territory - which has so far killed at least 72,000 Palestinians - along with other restrictions on the entry of food and humanitarian aid into the enclave that led to famine last year.The restrictions were supposed to have been lifted under the current ceasefire, which began in October, but Israel has continued to limit what can enter Gaza.Abdul Karim Heles, 36, from Shujayea, now displaced in western Gaza City, has been selling tobacco for years.“We’ve been working in tobacco since before the war… and we continued during it,” he says. “I have no other profession.”But the real shift, he explains, is not only in trade conditions, but in customer behaviour.As cigarette prices skyrocket, people have been turning to unconventional substitutes, including herbs mixed with nicotine, most notably Molokhia.The idea, he says, spread as an emergency workaround, part of a wider pattern of improvisation driven by scarcity. But he knows that this “solution” carries severe health risks.“Using raw nicotine with herbs is dangerous… it’s a toxic substance and can cause death,” he warns, recalling incidents in the market. “I know two people recently who died instantly after consuming nicotine.”He explains that the danger is not only in nicotine itself, but in how it interacts with dried herbs, especially Molokhia, which has become the most commonly used base because it “holds the substance” better than other plants.“nicotine doesn’t stick to all herbs,” he says. “Molokhia holds it... that’s why it became so widespread, despite all the warnings.”The preparation process, he adds, is entirely rudimentary: the leaves are dried, crushed and mixed with nicotine to produce a substance used for smoking, far removed from any safety standards.Alaa insists that it cannot be considered a real alternative.But, he says, economic reality and increasing cigarette prices leave him little room for choice.“A pack used to cost 15 shekels ($5.15)… now it reaches 500 or 600 shekels ($171 or $205),” he explains. “It has become nearly impossible for many people.”He adds that even single cigarettes are now sold at inflated prices, reflecting a dramatic collapse in purchasing power.This sharp increase, combined with shortages and restricted imports, has significantly reduced demand, not due to health awareness, but simply because people can no longer afford it.