In Al Zawayda, located in the central Gaza Strip, displaced individuals rely on animal-drawn carts for transportation on November 20, 2024. — AFP

Amina Abu Maghasib's means of livelihood hinges on a single animal: a donkey that pulls the cart she uses to transport people around Gaza. The ongoing war, which has persisted for over a year, has led to a severe shortage of fuel for vehicles. 'Before the war, I used to sell milk and yoghurt, and the factory used to take the milk from me,' she recounted from the central Gaza city of Deir El Balah, holding reins in one hand and a rubber stick in the other to steer her cart. 'Now, I have no income other than the donkey and the cart.'

Donkey-pulled carts were a common sight in pre-war Gaza. However, the lack of fuel and widespread destruction since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began last year have rendered them one of the few remaining modes of transport. Displaced Gazans, fleeing from fighting or air strikes, often board these carts to rush to safety with their belongings. For others, a donkey cart is virtually the only means of transportation.

Marwa Yess uses a donkey cart to travel with her family. 'I pay 20 shekels ($5.40) for the cart to take me from Deir El Balah to Nuseirat. The price is exorbitant, but under these circumstances, everything seems reasonable,' she said. The distance is approximately 5km. 'I used to feel embarrassed to ride a donkey cart at the beginning of the war, but now there's no other option,' the teacher and mother of three told AFP.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, 43 per cent of Gaza's working animals—including donkeys, horses, and mules—had been killed in the war by August 2024, leaving only 2,627 alive. Abu Maghasib's only running costs are fodder, she told AFP while sitting on her cart, a few planks of wood held together by a metal frame and mounted on four wheels. However, the price of food for both people and animals has skyrocketed.

After covering costs, Abu Maghasib makes a daily profit of 20 shekels from clients who board her cart. 'I bought this donkey on credit, and the first donkey died in the war in Deir El Balah after being hit by shrapnel,' she said. The new donkey cost her 2,500 shekels.

Abdel Misbah, a 32-year-old man displaced with his family of 20 from Gaza City to the south of the territory, also switched to donkey transportation for a livelihood. 'I used to sell vegetables on a cart before the war. Now, I work in delivery,' he said, noting that 'the donkey panics when the bombing gets too close.' He also feels the strain of rising fodder prices. 'I make sure to feed it well, even though the price of barley (per sack) has gone up from three shekels to 50 shekels,' he said.

Israel imposed a near-total siege on Gaza in the early stages of the war last year, complicating aid and goods distribution. The lack of fuel, war-damaged roads, looting, fighting in densely populated areas, and the repeated displacement of much of Gaza's 2.4 million people contribute to the shortages. A UN-backed assessment this month warned of an impending famine in northern Gaza, and the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, reported that aid entering the territory had reached its lowest level in months.

Yusef Muhammad, a 23-year-old displaced from Gaza's north to Khan Yunis in the south, said his donkey has become a 'lifeline' for his family. 'When the war started, car fares were too expensive. I had no choice but to rely on a donkey. Thank God I had it when we were forced to evacuate.'

Beyond the widespread destruction, Israel's military campaign has claimed the lives of at least 44,211 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas government's health ministry, which the UN considers reliable. Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war, resulted in 1,206 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

When Israeli military evacuation orders, which usually precede fighting and bombing, send thousands of people and their belongings onto the road in an instant, donkey carts can be one of the only ways out of danger. Hosni Abu Warda, 62, said his home was destroyed in the northern area of Jabalia, the scene of an intense Israeli military operation since early October. When he fled, Abu Warda had no choice but to turn to four-hoofed transportation. He waited 14 hours for a cart before escaping with his family 'packed like sardines.' In times like these, 'the donkey is more valuable than gold and even more valuable than modern cars,' Abu Warda said.

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