In a house garden with a swimming pool, a bunch of friends are sitting around a table on which they have placed soft-drink plastic bottles refilled with three types of alcoholic beverage — wine, arak and cognac, with some nuts — in a place where consumption of these beverages is punishable by the ruling regime, after it was at one time authorized years ago.

The 10 friends sit out of sight, chatting, laughing and drinking alcoholic beverages banned in Gaza and produced by three of them, while having grilled meat and chicken for dinner.

Al-Monitor asks: Aren’t these drinks banned here? “We do not sell them! We produced them so we can drink them, well before the advent of Hamas coming to power. No one can prohibit us from drinking alcohol. Those who believe it is forbidden should refrain from having it, but we do not see a problem in drinking it,” replies Abu Ahmed.

Abu Ahmed studied engineering in Russia, where he lived for more than 10 years, during which period he learned how to produce alcoholic beverages at home, in a professional manner using tools that are available in Gaza.