On the rooftop of a damaged residential building in Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighborhood, 49-year-old Palestinian beekeeper Ibrahim Al-Dabbah stands among wooden beehives, surrounded by swarms of bees. Inspecting his hives one by one, the scene feels entirely out of place amidst the surrounding rubble. For Al-Dabbah, however, this small apiary is a determined attempt to reclaim the life he knew before the war destroyed his home and livelihood.
A Thriving Industry Decimated
For over three decades, Al-Dabbah’s life has been inextricably linked to beekeeping—a profession passed down from his father and forefathers, which he practiced alongside his own sons. Before the war, he managed around 400 beehives spread across agricultural areas east of Gaza City.
As the head of the Cooperative Association of Beekeepers in the Gaza Strip, Al-Dabbah notes that apiculture was once a vital sector providing income for hundreds of families.
“Before the war, I owned 400 beehives. This was my profession and the profession of my fathers, and my sons worked with me,” he explains. “The beekeeping sector was very vibrant before the war. There were more than 40,000 beehives and around 1,000 beekeepers in the Gaza Strip, meaning nearly 1,000 families relied primarily on beekeeping for their livelihoods.”
Today, that reality has been turned upside down. Most beekeeping projects were situated in agricultural border areas east of the Gaza Strip—zones that have since faced widespread bulldozing and destruction, rendering them dangerous and inaccessible. Al-Dabbah notes that the beekeeping sector “was devastated just like the other vital sectors in the Gaza Strip,” with most beekeepers losing their hives, equipment, and workspaces.
The destruction goes beyond honey production. Bees play a critical role in pollinating trees and crops, meaning the loss of hives and foraging areas severely impacts the broader agricultural ecosystem. Assessments by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) indicate that over 80% of Gaza’s agricultural land has been damaged.
With agricultural vegetation shrinking rapidly, bees are losing their natural food sources, directly threatening their survival. Consequently, the Cooperative Association of Beekeepers estimates sector losses at approximately $39 million since October 2023. Pre-war, Gaza’s estimated 30,000 beehives produced up to 400 tons of honey annually. Today, the association estimates only about 700 hives remain. To cope, some beekeepers have resorted to splitting existing colonies to preserve numbers, but overall honey production has plummeted to just 10% of its former level.
Unimaginable Personal Loss
For Al-Dabbah, the devastation goes far beyond statistics. During the war, he lost four homes, all of which were completely destroyed, alongside the beekeeping business that represented his life’s work.
“I am from Gaza City’s Shuja’iyya neighborhood, and all the beehives I owned were in border areas, including Juhr al-Dik, Al-Awda and eastern Gaza. When the war began, it never occurred to me to move any of my belongings to a safe place,” he says.
He adds: “I lost four homes in the war; they were completely destroyed. My beekeeping project was my source of income and stability, and it was completely destroyed.”
Amid constant bombardment and mass displacement, saving businesses or property was impossible; the sole priority was survival. Al-Dabbah describes the ordeal as something words can scarcely capture.
“We went through a devastating war. The world has not witnessed what Gaza has experienced for hundreds of years. No one on Earth has lived through the tragedies that we experienced in this war,” he says.
Starting Over from Scratch
Following the announcement of a ceasefire, Al-Dabbah attempted to pivot to other lines of work but struggled to adapt. After spending decades among the hives, he resolved to return to his true calling, despite the dire circumstances.
“After the war ended and the ceasefire was announced, I tried working in several different professions, but I did not succeed. So I decided to return to beekeeping,” he explains.
His first hurdle was simply finding a location. With his former agricultural lands inaccessible and basic supplies prohibitively expensive, his options were severely limited.
“I bought three hives and wondered where I could put them. I found nowhere except the rooftop of the damaged building to start my project again. Thankfully, I was able to increase the number to around 35 hives,” he shares.
Today, Al-Dabbah finds himself on a ruined rooftop, painstakingly rebuilding a legacy. Like many others, he faces severe shortages of essential supplies.