Hazem Balousha

GAZA CITY: Cattle carts arriving at the vegetable market in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza and vendors and shoppers flocking to them have been a regular feature for years in the strip besieged by Israel.

But this might become a thing of the past as Israel has been preventing donkeys from entering the Gaza Strip since December last year, according to donkey dealers in Gaza.

Hani Al-Nadi, 40, a donkey dealer, said that Israel prevented him and other traders from importing the animals into Gaza.

“In December, I was informed by the Israeli authorities at the Erez Crossing that I am not allowed to obtain an import permit for donkeys,” Al-Nadi told Arab News.

He said an Israeli nongovernmental organization claimed that donkeys are tortured in Gaza and that after they are imported from Israel, they are slaughtered and their skins are sold to China via Egypt.

Ofer Stritch, from Starting Over, a nonprofit Israeli animal sanctuary, said: “We learned from multiple sources in Gaza that many donkeys arriving in the strip via Israel are sent to Egypt where they are slaughtered and their skins sold to China.

“We realized that there is a sudden increase in the number of donkeys that are transported from Israel to Egypt via Gaza.”

Al-Nadi rejected the allegations and said: “We cannot export anything through Egypt, and donkeys are not slaughtered in Gaza. I do not know the reason for this claim.”

According to Al-Nadi, Israel is the only source for importing donkeys, which are used for cheap transportation in light of the high fuel prices, into the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians use donkeys to pull carts through which farm produce is transported to markets or sold by street vendors.

Mahmoud Al-Ra’i, 33, said: “For 15 years I have been using a donkey cart to sell vegetables in Gaza streets. This is the second donkey that I have bought since the beginning of my work in this field.”

Al-Ra’i wanted to replace his donkey a month ago, but he dropped the idea when he learned about the high prices of donkeys as a result of the Israeli ban on the import of the animals.

The average price of a donkey in the Gaza Strip was about $200, but it has risen to about $800 now.

Gaza’s businesses use traditional means of transportation including trucks and tuk-tuks, but the high fuel price of $2 per liter has prompted some drivers to use donkeys and horses.

Rami Al-Shandaghli, 47, said: “Fuel prices are high in Gaza, and the profit rate is low due to the bad economic situation. Donkeys are the best way, and the cost of feeding and caring for them is very low.

“The cost of a donkey’s food per day does not exceed 5 shekels ($1.5), and wounds can be healed by a swim in the sea, and the average lifespan of a donkey is 20 years,” Al-Shandaghli said.

Israel controls most of the Gaza Strip’s imports as they enter through its Kerem Shalom crossing.

Egypt allows some goods to enter the Gaza Strip through the Salah El-Din crossing.

According to Al-Nadi, the Gaza Strip used to import between 500-600 donkeys annually, but since the beginning of the year, no new donkey has entered Gaza.

“Currently, I do not have a job in the field of donkeys. Until the issue is resolved, I will be helping my father raise cows. Israel has suspended my entry permit as well,” he said.