Why India’s Parle-G biscuit is costing Rs 2,300 in Gaza

Parle-G is one of the most well-known and widely consumed biscuits in India, and it also has a presence in several other countries.

Now, a video doing the rounds on social media shows a Palestinian father giving his daughter a packet of Parle-G .

This comes at a time when Gaza is struggling with severe food shortages and a steep rise in prices of everyday items due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.

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The biscuit, which usually costs Rs 100 in international markets, was reportedly purchased for over Rs 2,300 because of the crisis.

In this explainer, we look at what the video shows, how Parle-G is being sold for such a high price in Gaza, and the issue of food scarcity and rising costs in the war-affected region.

Here are the answers to these questions:

Palestinian father says Parle-G is daughter’s ‘favourite’: What happens in the video?

Mohammed Jawad, a resident of Gaza, shared a video on X in which he is seen handing his daughter, Rafif, a packet of Parle-G , a biscuit he says is her favourite.

Posting the video, he wrote, “After a long wait, I finally got Ravif her favorite biscuits today. Even though the price jumped from €1.5 to over €24, I just couldn’t deny Rafif her favorite treat.”

Notably, Parle-G, the much-loved Indian biscuit, is available in the region but has become extremely scarce due to the ongoing food shortage in Gaza. What normally costs around Rs 100 a packet is now being sold for as much as Rs 2,342.

The high price shocked many online, as Parle-G is known in India for being one of the most affordable snacks.

One user tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, saying, “The baby is eating India’s favourite biscuit. Look I know we are neutral about the war. But can we please send more Parle G to Palestine? These are Glucose Biscuits and will help relieve the civilian population.”

Another user commented, “rafif deserves all the biscuits she desires, stay safe family.”

“These biscuit are send as aid, then how come this becomes sold in black market (sic),” questioned another.

So why has the price of this simple biscuit risen so sharply? And how are items meant as aid ending up for sale in Gaza’s black market?

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Why Parle-G is being sold for over Rs 2,300

The high price of Parle-G biscuits in Gaza is mainly due to extreme scarcity and inflated rates amid looting and limited food availability.

Dr Khaled Alshawwa, a 31-year-old surgeon based in Gaza City, told NDTV that these items usually arrive as part of humanitarian aid and are meant to be distributed for free. However, only a small number of people receive them. This limited access turns such products into rare commodities, often resold on the black market at high prices.

According to the report, prices vary depending on the location and the seller. The Parle-G packets seen in Gaza are marked with ‘EXPORT PACK’ and carry no printed price.

It appears that the biscuits reached Gaza through aid shipments and were eventually acquired by a few vendors, who then sold them at prices far beyond the reach of ordinary residents, NDTV reported.

The publication reported that other essential items are also being sold at shockingly high rates. In northern Gaza, 1 kg of sugar was priced at Rs 4,914, and onions at Rs 4,423 per kg.

Since March 18, when Israeli forces resumed offensive operations in Gaza, the cost of flour has soared by 5,000 per cent, and cooking oil by 1,200 per cent, according to residents quoted by Time Magazine.

International aid agencies warn that famine is now imminent in Gaza. Their latest assessment, based on the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, declared the entire region to be in an “Emergency” phase. As of May 12, around 470,000 people, about 22 per cent of Gaza’s population, had entered the “Catastrophe” phase, marked by starvation, death, and extreme levels of malnutrition.

Meanwhile, critical support systems like community kitchens, which once fed thousands, have collapsed. The report also said UNRWA’s main compound, along with local markets and kitchens, has been looted.

Gaza’s humanitarian crisis

Gaza’s population of around two million is now almost entirely dependent on international aid, as the ongoing Israeli offensive has wiped out most of the region’s ability to produce food.

On March 2, Israel imposed a blockade on supplies entering Gaza. Limited aid only began to trickle in again late last month, following international pressure and urgent warnings about looming famine.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the needs on the ground are immense and that the aid currently reaching Gaza is still far from enough.

Israel, meanwhile, has accused Hamas, the political and militant group operating within Gaza, of taking control of aid and using it for its own purposes. As a result, it had paused traditional UN food deliveries.

With inputs from agencies