Molokhiya cigarettes are a trick for Gazans to smoke as a result of the war and the scarcity of tobacco

Molokhiya is no longer just a traditional dish on the tables of residents in the Gaza Strip. Rather, under the weight of war and the scarcity of tobacco, it has turned into an uncommon alternative to cigarettes, after smokers began to dry its leaves and mix them with nicotine liquid before rolling them up and smoking them.

The spread of this alternative among smokers increased after the price of one cigarette jumped from about a shekel ($0.33) to forty-fold, after more than two years of Israeli war in the Strip, which suffers from a severe shortage of basic materials.

On one of the streets of Gaza City, street vendor Abu Yahya Helles mixes dried and crumbled molokhiya leaves with nicotine liquid inside a small bag, before shaking it to obtain a green substance that is rolled into cigarettes and sold to customers.

“These are not considered a substitute for cigarettes, as they consist of molokhiya leaves infused with nicotine, unlike cigarettes made from tobacco,” he told Agence France-Presse, adding that people resort to them as an emergency option in light of the absence of imported cigarettes and their high prices, despite his belief that they do not have the same effect.

The city’s streets are crowded with passers-by and customers, while stands selling these cigarettes spread among the tents of the displaced and the piles of rubble left by the war.

Another seller, Muhammad Hellas, says, “People smoking Molokhiya cigarettes is not an option, but rather a necessity for them. If cigarettes were available, we would not see Molokhiya cigarettes.”

However, this same alternative is not always available, whether locally produced or imported, in light of the restrictions imposed by Israel on the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip. Only about four percent of the land is suitable for agriculture, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Smoking these cigarettes raises increasing concerns about their health risks, in the absence of clear information about their ingredients.

Laid Al-Naizi says, “These cigarettes are made from herbs such as molokhia, castor leaves, and other types, and we do not know whether they are toxic or not,” adding that unknown liquid substances are added to them, “and we do not know whether they are nicotine, poisons, or even pesticides.”

Despite these fears, he confirms that many people find themselves forced to smoke it.

As for Abu Muhammad Saqr (47 years old), he says, “I have been smoking since I was thirteen. Now I smoke Molokhiya cigarettes. If they put poison, we will smoke it. There is no life and no future to fear for our health.”

He adds that he does not enjoy it, “but I hold a cigarette and blow smoke… It is not the right time to quit smoking in light of what we are living through.”

For her part, Nevin Samir (53 years old) says that she has changed her habits, explaining, “I used to smoke a pack a day for twenty years, but now I smoke a few molokhiya cigarettes.”

The displaced woman in a tent in Khan Yunis adds, “Its taste and smell are bad, and I smoke it perhaps to vent anger or just for the feeling that accompanies a bad-tasting cup of coffee as well.”