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Fatwa banning trade of flour for bread stirs anger in Gaza

A controversial fatwa has been overruled after it forbade the exchange of flour for bread at local bakeries in Gaza, where power cuts make it difficult to bake at home.
MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images

Arwa Farroukh, was shocked to hear about the recent fatwa banning the exchange of flour for bread from bakeries. She had been making the exchange at her local bakery for months while the energy crisis prevented her from making her own bread at home.

Exchanging flour for bread at bakeries has become a common practice in the Gaza Strip. Women from middle and poor classes in Gaza traditionally bake their own bread at home. The UNRWA gives out food vouchers to the needy in Gaza every three months. Each voucher includes one bag of flour for each member of a family.

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