GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Amer Khalaf cuts and shapes bamboo culms into arcs to make handmade furniture. Although he was preoccupied with work, he did not look satisfied. It appears that people no longer care about this profession amid a decline in demand for bamboo products.

Those who work in the bamboo furniture industry in the Gaza Strip fear the near extinction of a craft that is one of the Palestinians' most important traditional handicrafts carrying a long historical legacy.

Khalaf, 29, was dusting off his creations that were stacked in his workshop in Omar Mukhtar neighborhood in Gaza City. “This profession has been at risk of extinction for several years now. There is little to no demand for bamboo furniture; I barely sell a single chair in a month,” he told Al-Monitor, noting that his craft is no longer enough to support his family of three.

He attributed the craft's decline to several reasons, including the deteriorating economic situation and the lack of purchasing power among citizens due to the financial crisis on the one hand, and the high price of bamboo furniture compared to products imported from abroad on the other hand.