GAZA CITY (AA) - This time of year Suleiman al-Dabash usually sees a low turnout at his shop for feseekh (salted fish) in the Zawiya market in eastern Gaza City, as most Gazans tend to buy beef for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha that will begin on Tuesday.
This year, however, business is booming at al-Dabash's shop as increasing numbers of Gazans replace beef with salted fish due to the deteriorating economic situation in the embattled Palestinian enclave.
"Dozens of customers come in daily before Eid to buy feseekh," al-Dabash told the Anadolu Agency.
This is because the price of a kilo of feseekh current stands at between 15 and 20 Israeli shekels (from roughly $4 to $6) – much less than the price of beef.
Feseekh, popular in the Palestinian territories and in neighboring Egypt, is a traditional dish consisting of fish that is dried and preserved in salt.
A recent crackdown by the Egyptian military on the tunnels linking the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula has squeezed the beleaguered enclave, which – due to a crippling Israeli blockade first imposed in 2006 – relies heavily on goods smuggled from Egypt.
Egypt's ongoing anti-tunnel campaign has also left many Gazans unemployed, making life even harder for many of the strip's roughly 1.7 million inhabitants.
Despite the recent upswing in sales, al-Dabash can remember selling over 1,000 kilograms of feseekh during the Eid six years ago.
"Sales have fallen by more than 50 percent since then," he said. "Now I would be happy to sell only 500 kilos during Eid."
Selim Abdel-Qader, one of al-Dabash's customers, said feseekh would constitute the main dish on his family's table this Eid.
"My family used to eat beef on the first day of Eid al-Adha and sacrifice sheep," he recalled. "This year, however, the difficult economic situation means that I can't afford to sacrifice, so I'll have to buy salted fish for the first day of the feast."
"But this meal won't bring us the joy that we felt in the past," Abdel-Qader added sorrowfully.
By Mustafa Haboush
