A factory owner in Gaza says they have resorted to using discarded plastic to make mats due to a lack of available materials caused by Israel's ongoing blockade of the territory.

According to Hamed Hejazi, the factory has been in operation for 35 years but with borders closed they can no longer rely on imports of raw materials from abroad.

Recycled plastic offers a cheap, sustainable alternative that is popular with low-income families.

Hejazi says that another major problem the factory faces is getting spare parts.

This footage was captured on March 23.

Due to the closure of the crossings and the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip, the owner of the mat factory in Gaza resorted to recycling plastic from waste to make plastic mats. According to Hamed Hejazi, director of the mat factory, which has been in operation for 35 years, mats are used by the poor because of their low price. Hejazi added that the industry relies on imported plastic raw materials from abroad, but due to the conditions of closed borders, they turned to recycle plastic from waste. Workers in the mat industry face many challenges, including the lack of machine spare parts and the inability to get raw materials due to the siege imposed on Gaza.