Repairing Hope: The Emergence of Banknote Restoration in Gaza

Wed Dec 03 2025 06:27:27 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In post-war Gaza, the art of banknote restoration has become a lifeline for many struggling to maintain financial stability amidst ongoing economic collapse.

In the wake of violent conflict and economic deprivation in Gaza, the restoration of damaged banknotes has emerged as a crucial service for residents. As banks remain largely inactive and informal financial systems dominate, individuals like Baraa Abu al-Aoun dedicate their efforts to keep cash flow alive in the region. This article explores the challenges faced by Gazans in the aftermath of conflict and the vital role of money repairers in sustaining everyday transactions.

In a bustling Gaza City market, a money repairer expertly inspects a worn, yellow 100 shekel ($30.50; £23.10) note. He straightens it out and enhances its faded colour with careful strokes of a pencil.

Baraa Abu al-Aoun should have been studying at university - but instead he ekes out a living from a table he has set up at the roadside, taking a small sum to help keep cash in circulation.

Fixing banknotes is a thriving new business in Gaza.

Ever since the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023 and the devastating war that ensued, Israel stopped transfers of banknotes, along with most other supplies.

Most banks were destroyed in Israeli strikes, and many were looted. While some branches have reopened since a ceasefire took effect seven weeks ago, there are still no working ATMs.

People need cash to buy food and essentials. That has forced them to turn to informal money merchants who charge enormous commissions to turn digital transfers into cash. It has also sparked a huge increase in the use of e-wallets and money transfer apps.

Every existing banknote matters more than ever - no matter how tattered. My tools are simple: a ruler, pencils, coloured pencils and glue, he says.

The ceasefire hasn't changed the financial situation. What I do now is to serve people and help them.

Gaza's economic collapse has been so catastrophic during two years of intense war that the United Nations says its entire population of over two million has been pushed into poverty.

Four in five people are now unemployed, and even those still earning struggle to access cash.

The financial needs lead to long lines outside the few operational bank branches, amplifying the chaos experienced by residents seeking to restore their livelihoods.

Back in Gaza City, Baraa Abu al-Aoun holds the banknote he has been working on up to the light. He has more customers waiting, attracted by his sign promising repairs with high professionalism and without adhesive tape.

As Baraa toils on, he longs for a return to a normal life with prospects of more profitable employment. I just want this war to end fully, he says. My hope is to feel relief at last, so that I can study and work with a degree. In Gaza, we're just surviving. We're not human beings anymore.