Bird traders have gradually resumed activity at the Wednesday Market in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. One trader who has worked in the field for 30 years said he returned to the market about 20 days ago after stopping during the past 3 years, amid sharp price increases and shortages of feed, breeds and veterinary medicines.
Limited return to the market
The trader said the market had begun to recover on a limited basis as buying and selling improved, but limited supply and rising prices continued to weigh on traders, breeders and residents.
He added that a pair of ducks now sells for about 400 shekels, while the price of a female rabbit has risen to the same level, after selling for only about 50 shekels before the war. He attributed the increase to shortages of birds and feed, the halt in farming and the destruction of farms and animal shelters.
Breed shortages drive up prices
Another trader said a pair of birds that sold for between 50 and 70 shekels before the war now sells for between 1,200 and 1,500 shekels. The price of a carton of local eggs has risen from about 15 shekels to between 300 and 500 shekels, while the price of a pair of chicks has jumped from about 7 shekels to about 100 shekels.
He explained that the destruction of farms and animal shelters, along with shortages of incubators and feed, had caused many local breeds to disappear. Traders called for permission to bring birds, animals, breeds and feed through Egypt or the crossings, which would help breeders resume an activity that provides a source of income for many families.
Displacement hampers the recovery of breeding activity
Breeders said the loss of homes and animal shelters, and the need for families to live in tents, had limited their ability to raise birds. Many birds left behind by residents during displacement also died, leading to a scarcity of breeds and reducing people’s ability to buy and breed them.
One breeder said an item that sold for about 20 shekels before the war now costs about 150 shekels. He added that he had tried to expand the birds he had left despite feed shortages, calling for a suitable environment for breeding and for the entry of improved breeds, quality feed and veterinary medicines.
War losses
The efforts to resume activity come after the war launched by Israeli forces, with U.S. backing, on the Gaza Strip in October 2023. The war has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and injured more than 174,000, most of them children and women, while also destroying farms and animal shelters and causing large numbers of birds to die.
