Key facts
- Gaza's beekeepers are struggling to restart their trade after war destroyed their hives and farmland.
- Pre-war honey production was around 400 metric tons annually, but is now at 10% of that level.
- An estimated 700 hives remain from a pre-war total of around 30,000.
- Beekeepers are forced to place hives on rooftops and use sugar supplements due to lack of forage.
- Access to agricultural areas is restricted by a military demarcation line.
- Rebuilding is expensive, with three hives and equipment costing over $3,000.
Gaza's beekeepers are facing an existential crisis as the ongoing conflict has decimated their industry, destroying an estimated 30,000 hives and rendering farmland inaccessible or ruined. Many beekeepers, like Ibrahim al-Dabba, find themselves surrounded by rubble, struggling to find basic equipment to restart a trade passed down through generations.
Before the war, honey production had already seen a decline due to climate change, but the conflict delivered a far more devastating blow. Rateb Sammour, an agricultural engineer and beekeeper, estimates that only around 700 hives remain, with current honey production at a mere 10% of its previous levels. Some beekeepers are resorting to placing hives on rooftops and supplementing their bees' diet with sugar due to the lack of natural forage.
Access to agricultural areas is further complicated by a military demarcation line established under a ceasefire, effectively restricting movement. The cost of rebuilding is steep; al-Dabba reported paying 10,000 shekels, approximately $3,245, for just three hives and essential equipment. In Nuseirat, beekeeper Fahd al-Dahdouh is working to repair shattered hive boxes salvaged from destroyed areas, symbolizing the broader effort to salvage what remains of Gaza's beekeeping sector.