The recent rise in gas prices is due to the current war going on in Gaza.

NIU transportation manager Bill Finucane said prices rose shortly after the war began.

“The rise occurred the first few days after the war started, going up around 15 cents,” Finucane said.

Finucane said gas prices went up as a result of nervous investors.

“Any time there’s a war in the Middle East, investors get worried about the oil there, causing prices to rise,” he said.

Finucane said demand affects gas prices more significantly.

“Demand for oil has dropped in the last six months,” he said. “I think if gas prices keep staying down, people will use more, increasing the demand which will raise the prices.”

Jarret Byrne, graduate student in public administration, said he thinks this increase won’t get too out of hand.

“I don’t think gas prices will have too big of an increase,” Byrne said. “And I definitely don’t see the prices getting as high as they were in September.”

Finucane finds the war in Gaza could cause gas prices to rise higher if the location of oil were moved.

“If neighboring countries moved the location of oil in order to get the Israeli army to withdraw from Gaza, gas prices would go up,” Finucane said.

Sophomore biology major Joel Engelhardt said he is more concerned about the situation in Gaza than how it is affecting the gas prices.

“I’m more worried about the actual war that’s going on,” Engelhardt said. “I don’t think gas prices are as important as the impact the war is having on people’s lives.”