A Gaza dentist has developed ultra-lightweight gold coins to allow people without much money to access to one of the most widely used savings methods across the Middle East.

"The idea stemmed from the community's need to own gold amid the difficult living conditions the people live in," said Ahmed Hamdan, who developed the coins, which range in weight from half a gram to 10 grams.

"We have made gold available to people of all categories, gold that even the poor and those with low income can get some," Hamdan said.

The 21-carat-gold coin, which bears the image of the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem on one face with the word Palestine underneath, is licensed and stamped by the Ministry of Economy in Gaza, run by the Islamist Hamas group since 2007.

Gaza has no currency of its own and uses the euro, US dollar, Israeli shekel, and Jordanian dinar in their daily lives. As in many parts of the Middle East, mistrust of banks means many people prefer to keep their savings in gold.

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Gaza dentist makes gold coins in lieu of currency(https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-757986)