GAZA, (PIC)
In the northern Gaza Strip, Eid al-Adha is approaching this year amid devastation and famine, as the traditional sacrifice ritual has become an unreachable luxury for most Palestinians due to Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and the near-total collapse of the territory’s livestock sector.
For the third consecutive year, preparations for the holiday remain overshadowed by destruction, with livestock prices soaring to unprecedented levels due to the continued closure of border crossings, Israel’s ban on the entry of live animals, the disappearance of grazing land and the severe shortage of animal feed.
Inside a modest livestock shelter built from war debris, farmer and local elder Abu Mohammed al-Zarqa described the situation as “catastrophic,” noting that the price of a single sacrificial animal has exceeded $5,000 at a time when most Gaza residents are living under extreme economic hardship and near-total unemployment.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera Mubasher, al-Zarqa said Israel’s tight closure of crossings and restrictions on livestock imports had pushed the price of live meat to between $80 and $115 per kilogram, far beyond the reach of most families.
The war’s destruction has extended beyond human losses to Gaza’s livestock sector itself. Al-Zarqa said he lost his home, several family members and nearly 200 sheep during Israeli bombardments, while now struggling to preserve the few remaining animals he managed to transfer from southern Gaza.
With agricultural land destroyed and animal feed nearly unavailable, livestock owners have resorted to feeding animals with humanitarian aid supplies intended for people, including lentils and grains, reflecting the scale of famine and food insecurity across northern Gaza.
Providing shelter for livestock has also become an enormous burden. Residents say building even a simple enclosure using zinc sheets and recycled wood can cost up to $5,000 because of severe shortages of construction materials and soaring prices.
Gazans say fresh meat has largely disappeared from dining tables for months, while the sharp decline in sacrificial animals represents another dimension of what Palestinians describe as Israel’s starvation policy against the besieged enclave.
With most families unable to afford sacrificial animals, charitable organizations remain the only hope for preserving the Eid ritual, amid growing calls to reopen crossings and allow the entry of livestock and food supplies to save what remains of Gaza’s collapsing food system.
Since October 2023, Israel’s war on Gaza, backed by the US, has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded around 172,000 others, while devastating nearly 90 percent of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure, according to Palestinian and UN estimates.
