Dr Ahmed Thabet, a Gazan veterinary surgeon, told London's The Telegraph that the average price of a donkey before the war was between $US1000 and $US1200. "Recently, it was $US20,000 and last week I witnessed one that was sold for $US30,000," he said, describing the surge as "a little bit crazy" and noting that people repeatedly asked whether he meant $US3000.
The price jump is driven by the virtual elimination of motorised private transport in the strip and the emergence of a small group of black marketeers who have become hugely rich trading in intercepted aid, according to the report. Donkey numbers, meanwhile, have been halved in the past three years, leaving the animals in comparatively short supply.
With cars and trucks largely unusable, donkey-drawn carts have become an essential way to move people, food and goods through Gaza City and beyond. The report describes a market under extreme pressure: prices that started around $US1000 before the war have climbed to $US20,000 and then $US30,000, as households, traders and aid distributors compete for a shrinking pool of animals.
The figures were reported by Dr Thabet, one of the enclave's most senior veterinarians, who said he had personally witnessed the $US30,000 sale last week.