Mazen al-Jerjawi would normally spend this time of year preparing for Eid al-Adha, selling the hundreds of sheep and goats he raised on his land as families across Gaza searched for animals to sacrifice during the holiday.
Today, however, the man once known as one of Gaza’s leading livestock breeders runs only a small restaurant, relying on frozen meat allowed into the besieged enclave under tight Israeli restrictions.
“At this time of year, I used to sell around 200 sheep and cows. Today, I have none,” Jerjawi, from Gaza City, told Middle East Eye.
“No live animals are being allowed into Gaza at all,” he added.
“Israel treats the people of Gaza as if they are living here temporarily, and what is allowed is merely to ‘keep things going’ at a minimal level.”
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Eid al-Adha is one of the most important holidays in Islam, during which Muslims who can afford to do so sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow or camel after Eid prayers, with the meat shared among family, neighbours and those in need.
Before the war, Gaza imported between 40,000 and 60,000 sheep and calves each year ahead of Eid to meet demand for the ritual sacrifice.
But for the third consecutive year, Palestinians in Gaza will be unable to observe one of the holiday’s central traditions as Israel’s genocide and blockade continue to devastate the enclave.
Livestock wiped out
Since the start of the war in October 2023, more than 90 percent of Gaza’s livestock sector has been destroyed or damaged by Israeli attacks and restrictions on the movement of goods and farming supplies, according to Gaza’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Alongside the devastation of local livestock production, Israel has also blocked the entry of live animals into the enclave, further isolating the sector and tightening already fragile supply chains.
The result has been a dramatic surge in prices. Before the war, a sheep typically cost between $500 and $600. Today, the few remaining animals can sell for as much as $7,000.
“I stopped selling sheep because the remaining livestock in Gaza has become incredibly scarce,” Jerjawi said.
He said Palestinians abroad still contact him, hoping to buy animals for Eid sacrifices on behalf of relatives in Gaza, but he often urges them to reconsider.
“I tell them it’s better to buy 50 kilograms of frozen meat instead of spending all that money on one sheep,” he said. “The 20,000 shekels [$7,000] for a sheep could even help pay for a couple to get married.”
‘Many of my sheep died after a nearby house was bombed’
– Mazen al-Jerjawi, livestock breeder
According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), by last November, at least 80 percent of Gaza’s sheep and 70 percent of its goats had either been killed or died during the war.
Once one of the enclave’s last reliable sources of fresh meat and dairy, the livestock sector has now been virtually wiped out, worsening food insecurity for Gaza’s roughly two million residents.
The destruction has extended far beyond the animals themselves. Farms, barns, feed warehouses and veterinary clinics have all been repeatedly damaged or destroyed, while shortages of feed and essential supplies have pushed the sector towards collapse.
“We did everything we could to keep the animals alive, even feeding them pasta and whatever we could find,” Jerjawi said.
“But many of my sheep died after a nearby house was bombed. This was the case for most livestock owners; we lost them because of the strikes.”
He said repeated forced displacement dealt the final blow, leaving families fleeing bombardment unable to care for their animals and often forcing them to slaughter or sell them at whatever price they could get.
“With every evacuation order, the number of livestock in Gaza dropped dramatically,” he said.
“When I was displaced, I had to slaughter my animals or sell them quickly so they would not be left behind under bombardment,” he added.
“All the livestock I once owned ended up being sold this way. I sold them for whatever price I could just to buy flour and basic necessities, which had become extremely expensive.
“In the end, how can someone care for livestock while trying to protect their wife and children?”
‘No Eid’
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Agriculture, the number of sheep and goats in the enclave has fallen from around 60,000 before the war to just 3,000 today. Calves and cattle have almost completely disappeared.
“Most of the sheep and goats still alive are with nomad herders and are not available for sale during the Eid season,” Raafat Assaliya, spokesperson for the agriculture ministry, told MEE.
He added that the livestock crisis had been compounded by the inability to operate water wells, leaving the sector with no real means of recovery and little prospect of revival.
“This has prevented thousands of families from carrying out the Eid sacrifice, in an unprecedented situation.”
For many Palestinians in Gaza, the holiday itself has become almost unrecognisable.
“It feels like we haven’t celebrated Eid for three years,” said Muhammed Aburiyala, a schoolteacher from Gaza City who used to perform the annual sacrifice.
“The ritual itself, and the feeling of sharing it with others, has disappeared. Without sacrifices and the ability to share, there is no Eid.”
‘[Israel] wants to paralyse society and prevent it from becoming self-sufficient’
– Muhammed Aburiyala, Gaza schoolteacher
He said the absence of live animals was only part of the crisis, with many families now struggling to secure even basic food.
“There are no live animals, and most families cannot afford to share anything anyway,” he said.
“Many can barely secure daily meals, and some have not eaten frozen meat for more than a year,” he added.
“What enters Gaza is limited and depends entirely on the status of the crossings, which means prices remain extremely high.”
According to a UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment, around 1.6 million people – roughly 77 percent of Gaza’s population – were facing acute food insecurity by late November 2025.
The crisis has been worsened by severe and often unpredictable Israeli restrictions – despite the ceasefire – on humanitarian aid and commercial goods, alongside repeated border closures that continue to disrupt supply chains.
As a result, basic food items frequently disappear from markets altogether, while prices fluctuate sharply depending on what is allowed into the enclave.
Aburiyala said the restrictions on livestock were also destroying an entire economic system that once supported thousands of families across Gaza.
“If livestock were allowed into Gaza, it would sustain many professions – veterinarians, livestock breeders, farmers who rely on manure, butchers and restaurant owners,” he said.
“This is not what Israel wants. They want to paralyse society and prevent it from becoming self-sufficient.”
