‘The tourists have gone’: Jerusalem restaurateur struggles amid Gaza war | Israel War on Gaza

What’s your money worth? A series from the front lines of the cost of living crisis, where people who have been hit hard share their monthly expenses.

Name: Mo Sarwa

Age: 50

Occupation: Owner of Sarwa Street Kitchen in East Jerusalem

Lives with: His wife, Ilona, and their three children – one son, Ruslan, 20, and two young daughters, Anastasia, 10, and Ulana, 5. The newest addition to their family is Yokie, a brown-and-white rabbit from the pet store across the street.

Lives in: One of seven apartments in a building that has been in Mo’s family since 1954 in Ras al-Amud, a Palestinian neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. Mo himself was born and raised there alongside his six brothers and two sisters. In the 90-square-metre (nearly 1,000-square-feet), two-bedroom, three bath home, Mo, Ilona and the girls share the larger bedroom, while Ruslan has the smaller one to himself.

Monthly household income: Before the war, Mo earned 10,000 Israeli shekels ($2,697) each month. This compares with the average monthly gross salary in Israel of 12,009 shekels ($3,238) as of May 2023. This month, Mo made 500 shekels ($137). He is currently relying on his savings to support his family as their sole source of income, which he only expects to last for another six months.

Total expenses for the month: 23,173 shekels ($6,286.70).