A Palestinian craftsman toils in a pottery workshop to meet the rising demand for clay pots used to cool water, driven by power outages and scorching weather, in Gaza City on August 13, 2024. — Reuters
Traditional clay pottery is experiencing a revival in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians are compelled to devise solutions for the scarcity of plates and other crockery due to the devastation wrought by over a year of conflict. "There is an extraordinary demand for plates as no supplies enter the Gaza Strip," said 26-year-old potter Jafar Atallah in the central Gaza city of Deir El Balah. The majority of the Palestinian territory's 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced, frequently multiple times, by the war that commenced with Hamas's assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Escaping the bombs during Israel's devastating retaliatory military campaign, which has obliterated substantial civilian infrastructure, everyday items such as cups and bowls have often been lost, broken, or abandoned.
With imports increasingly hindered by Israeli restrictions and the perils of delivering aid, Gazans have had to adopt resourceful methods to fulfill their needs since the war began. To keep pace with demand, Atallah works tirelessly, producing approximately 100 pieces daily, primarily bowls and cups, a stark contrast to the 1,500 units his factory in northern Gaza produced before the war. It is one of the numerous factories in Gaza that have closed, either destroyed during airstrikes, inaccessible due to the fighting, or unable to operate due to material and electricity shortages. Presently, Atallah operates from a rudimentary workshop set up under a thin blue plastic sheet. He meticulously shapes the clay into urgently needed crockery, then leaves his terracotta creations to dry in the sun — one of the few abundant resources in Gaza.
Each item is sold for 10 shekels, equivalent to $2.70 — nearly five times its pre-war value, reflecting the widespread shortages and soaring prices. Gazans report struggling to find various basic household goods. "After 13 months of war, I went to the market to buy plates and cutlery, and all I could find was this clay pot," said Lora Al Turk, a 40-year-old mother residing in a makeshift shelter in Nuseirat, a few kilometers from Deir El Balah. "I was compelled to buy it to feed my children," she noted, highlighting that the pot's price had more than doubled since the war. The conflict in Gaza was ignited by Hamas's unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has claimed at least 44,176 lives, mostly civilians, according to data from Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry, which the United Nations deems reliable. Following each Israeli army evacuation order, typically preceding fighting and bombing, masses of people take to the roads, often on foot, carrying whatever they can manage. However, with each passing month and escalating waves of displacement, the loads they carry diminish. Many Gazans now inhabit tents or other makeshift shelters, and some even on bare pavement. The United Nations has cautioned about the risk of diseases in the frequently cramped and unsanitary conditions. Yet for Gazans, finding inventive ways to endure hardship is not novel. In this, the most severe Gaza war to date, people are utilizing shattered concrete from war-damaged buildings to construct makeshift homes. With fuel and even firewood scarce, many rely on donkeys for transportation. Century-old camping stoves are refurbished and employed for cooking. Traditional pottery is yet another indication of a return to the old ways of living.
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