The Cradle
Palestinian beekeepers in Gaza who lost their livelihoods to Israeli attacks are turning to unconventional methods to revive their industry, moving operations to the rooftops of damaged buildings as security risks and border restrictions block access to agricultural land, according to a report from Anadolu Agency.
Ibrahim al-Dabba, head of the Gaza Strip Beekeepers Cooperative, noted that while the pre-genocide sector supported roughly 10,000 people across 1,000 active apiaries, Israeli bombardments nearly wiped out production and plunged the number of surviving beehives below 500.
Despite the near-total destruction and severe import blocks on essential gear like wooden hives, treatment supplies, and wax foundation sheets, a cooperative recovery plan has helped push the number of hives back to about 3,000.
Dabba himself managed to expand his operations from just three hives to more than 35 on a damaged apartment rooftop in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood. Despite the immense obstacles and shortages of fuel and wood, Dabba emphasized their resilience, stating, “When we saw the bees clinging to life here, it gave us hope too.”
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