Gaza's ice cream industry melts

Although ice cream is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local ice cream shops struggle to sustain themselves under Israel's blockade and Hamas' law on imported goods.
Palestinians crowd into an ice cream shop during the first day of a three day ceasefire, in Gaza City August 5, 2014. Israel withdrew ground forces from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and started a 72-hour ceasefire with Hamas mediated by Egypt as a first step towards negotiations on a more enduring end to the month-old war. Gaza officials say the war has killed 1,834 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed since fighting began on July 8, after a
Palestinians crowd into an ice cream shop, Gaza City, Aug. 5, 2014. - REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
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Hana Salah
@@HanaSalahGaza
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Ice cream is a popular treat for Gazans, who are suffering from the emotional stress of the deteriorating political and economic situation, especially since 2007, and who are facing another summer with intense heat. They consume locally produced ice cream at ice cream parlors or eat factory-produced ice cream sold in grocery stores across the Gaza Strip.

Kazem's ice cream parlor in the heart of Gaza City has borne witness over the last 65 years to the Palestinian heritage of locally produced Arabic- and Western-style ice cream.

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