Gaza blockade leaves horses hungry
Arabian horse owners in the Gaza Strip are struggling to keep their horses healthy amid crippling food and medicine shortages.
The Israeli blockade on the Gaza strip affects animals as well as people.
Breeders of Arabian horses in Gaza have been struggling to secure the necessary medicines and vaccinations due to Israeli restrictions. The Gaza Strip has been under a blockade imposed by Israel since the Hamas movement took control in June 2007.
“Breeding horses requires great care to keep the animals healthy and agile," Hazem Abu Zayda, one of the most famous breeders of purebred Arabian horses in the Gaza Strip, told Al-Monitor. "They also need continuous medical and nutritional care, including vaccinations and nutritional supplements and medicines, which are in very short supply because Israel refuses to allow them in. And when Egypt sends them, they are sold at very high prices that not everyone could afford.”
“Israel also bans the entry of new horse breeds into the Gaza Strip and prevents them from participating in Arab and international competitions," he added. "There are only purebred Arabian and Thoroughbred horses brought from the United Kingdom, with the price of one horse reaching up to $15,000.” Horse breeding in Gaza, he explained, is limited to a certain group of amateurs because of their high prices involved.
