GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Despite the difficulties that hinder camel breeding in the Gaza Strip, such as the scarcity of green pastures and ongoing urban sprawl, Bedouin families continue to breed camels as part of their heritage. To them, camels are a source of income and livelihood, while camel yogurt is used medicinally.

Bedouin tribes at one time did not exist in Gaza, but as a result of tribal conflicts, the Bedouin tribe of Bani Amer moved at the beginning of the 18th century from the Negev desert, bringing with them many camels. The tribe settled in the eastern outskirts of the Gaza Strip, historian Naser Ismail al-Yafawi, a board member of Pal-Think for Strategic Studies, an independent Palestinian think tank, told Al-Monitor.

Every morning, Khaled al-Mousadder, who lives in the village of Masdar in the center of Gaza, rides his camel in search of green pastures. To him, this camel is his most important possession, as it represents a heritage that is difficult to give up.

As he fed his camel, Mousadder told Al-Monitor, “Camels have always been part of my life. Apart from the fact that I use them for transportation, they are also my source of livelihood, and camel yogurt has always been part of the Bedouins’ diet.”