As summer arrived, the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip — who number around 1.7 million — found in the sea an avenue to escape from the summer heat and electricity outages.

Thousands of men and children on vacation swam or lay on the beach, while most women sat carefully or swam in their black abayas. Every now and then, the scene was broken by the passage of a horse or camel to lure people into taking a ride for less than $1.

Ibrahim, 20, rode his camel from the Mughraqa region of the Gaza Strip toward the shore, which takes about an hour, to earn a daily income that does not exceed $15. Speaking to Al-Monitor while looking around for potential customers, he said, “The summer season continues until Ramadan (due to start on July 9). Because they are fasting, people don’t come to the beach much, and summer goes by quickly. During this time of the year, nobody rides camels, so I will have to find another job in construction or sales.”

Ibrahim said that in the past he had a herd of camels, but the war in 2012 left him with only one. Two girls who seemed to be friends approached his camel, and Ibrahim helped them up onto the saddle. They cried out in fear when the camel stood up to walk, while one of them said, laughing, “I feel like I’m looking out from the third floor.”