You can buy Fila sneakers, knock-off Barbie dolls, and even Italian chocolates at a new “luxury” mall that opened in Gaza this week.

Since May, when attempts by a Turkish flotilla to break the Gaza blockade turned deadly, Israel has increased the number of goods going into Gaza by 60 percent.

The majority of the new items at this mall come from Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, used to bring humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. Other items were smuggled through tunnels.

But Gazans aren’t now living the high life. The majority live on $2 a day. Few can afford anything inside the mall.

“One-third of our (Gazan) staff have told us they can no longer live off their salaries to provide for their families,” said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness. “And the number of poor people in Gaza has tripled over three years.”

One of the women shopping at the new two-story mall told us she has no electricity at her home. So she came to the mall to see lights and sit in the air conditioning.

Other Gazans are less enthused.

“Freedom is not about buying frozen french fries or chocolates,” said Hiyam Ahmed, a mall employee. “Ending the blockade means opening up ports and having the freedom to import and export goods as you like without waiting three years for Israel’s approval.”

Others say they still await Israel to allow in more construction materials to rebuild homes destroyed by Israeli air strikes during the January 2009 Gaza War.