Beekeepers in Gaza who lost their apiaries and livelihoods in Israeli attacks are developing unconventional solutions to revive their profession and recover from the devastation caused by the war, Anadolu reports.
Displaced Palestinian beekeeper Ibrahim al-Dabba has resumed production by placing beehives on the roof of a damaged apartment building in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood of southern Gaza City as security risks prevent him from reaching agricultural land.
Al-Dabba, who also heads the Gaza Strip Beekeepers Cooperative, told Anadolu that the beekeeping industry provided a livelihood for about 10,000 people across Gaza before the war.
Around 1,000 beekeepers were active in the territory before the attacks, with approximately half large-scale and half small-scale producers, he said, adding that Gaza previously produced significant quantities of honey.
Like most other productive sectors, beekeeping was almost entirely destroyed by the Israeli attacks, according to al-Dabba.
Beekeepers attempted to resume production following the ceasefire but received insufficient support, he said.
The number of beehives in Gaza fell below 500 after the war but has since increased to about 3,000 through a recovery plan developed by the cooperative. More than 100 beekeepers have also returned to production.
Read the entire article from the Middle East Monitor here.
