Memo - On the eve of the Eid ul-Fitr feast, Gaza's markets are full of products. The Gazan residents go shopping at these markets to stock up, but the economic situation in Gaza extends its grip on the life of its inhabitants.

Those that do not have enough, borrow money in order to go shopping. For the shoppers that do go, everything on the shelves is offered at reasonable prices, but shoppers report that they can only find last year's fashions on offer in the shops.

The closure of the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza has stopped the flow of goods to the Strip which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2006.

The Palestinian government in Gaza monitors the prices and availability of goods in the markets. The government wants to prevent monopolies which could be caused by shortages of commodities. So far, there are also fuel and cooking gas shortages.

Egyptians claimed that the tunnels posed a threat to Egyptian national security and therefore, had to be closed.

The Palestinian Authority president called for the tunnels to be closed, but the Palestinian government in Gaza said that it would only accept their closure if an alternative import for goods was implemented.