Donkey Prices in Gaza Skyrocket From $1,000 to $30,000 as UK Import Demand Grows

**Lead**

A single donkey in Gaza now commands prices of up to $30,000, a staggering rise from the $1,000 typical before the current conflict, as months of war have decimated livestock, blocked traditional trade routes and created a surge in demand from buyers linked to the United Kingdom market. The sharp inflation in donkey prices has rippled through local markets in Gaza, where animals are no longer just beasts of burden but scarce, high-value assets traded between families, traders and intermediaries. What was once a straightforward purchase for farming or transport has become a desperate financial calculation, with some residents selling land or jewellery to secure a donkey for basic daily survival.

**Context**

Donkeys have long been essential to daily life in Gaza, where fuel shortages and damaged roads make motorised transport unreliable or unaffordable. Before the war, a healthy working donkey could be bought for around $1,000, a significant sum but one within reach for many farmers and small traders. By late 2025 and into 2026, however, the collapse of veterinary services, the destruction of pastureland and the deaths of thousands of animals during bombing campaigns had made donkeys increasingly rare. At the same time, the closure of commercial crossings meant that no replacement animals could be brought in from Egypt or Israel, creating a supply vacuum that sent prices soaring.

This demand has been amplified from an unexpected direction: the United Kingdom. British traders and agricultural suppliers have been actively seeking donkey hides, meat and live animals for a variety of commercial purposes, including the production of gelatine, leather goods and traditional remedies that still circulate in some communities. While the trade in donkey products remains controversial, it is not illegal in the UK, and several licensed importers have been linked to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern supply chains. Reports from market sources in Gaza indicate that intermediaries acting on behalf of foreign buyers are now offering extraordinary sums for surviving animals, particularly younger and healthier donkeys that can endure the long journey out of the region.

Local traders describe an atmosphere of frenzy at weekly livestock markets in Rafah and Deir al-Balah, where a donkey that would have been considered old or weak just two years ago can now trigger a bidding war among merchants who see it as a ticket to financial survival. In some cases, families have resisted selling even at $30,000 because the animal is their only means of transporting water, food and injured relatives to clinics. Humanitarian agencies operating in Gaza have noted the irony that aid shipments of fodder and veterinary medicine are now among the most valued forms of assistance, as they directly affect the survival and resale value of these animals.

**Analise**

The vertiginous rise in donkey prices in Gaza is more than an economic anomaly; it is a stark indicator of how war has reordered the basic architecture of daily life. When a donkey becomes worth more than many families’ entire savings, it also becomes a target for theft, extortion and cross-border smuggling. Security analysts point to a growing pattern in which armed groups and criminal networks have begun treating livestock as strategic commodities, much like fuel or flour, using control over donkey movements to extract money from desperate communities. This transforms a traditional rural asset into a source of conflict and coercion, adding another layer of suffering to an already devastated population.

The UK connection adds an uncomfortable global dimension. British consumers may never see a donkey from Gaza, but the leather in a pair of gloves or the gelatine in a dessert could, in principle, have travelled along a supply chain that began with an animal purchased in a war zone at an inflated price. Campaigners have long warned that the international trade in donkey hides is poorly regulated and often fraught with cruelty and corruption. The price surge in Gaza should serve as a warning that demand from wealthier countries can have severe consequences in regions affected by conflict, especially where legal oversight is weak. If the UK government genuinely wants to support stability in the Middle East, it must examine not only its humanitarian aid and arms exports, but also its import policies for animal products originating from conflict-affected areas.

For Gazans, the immediate outlook remains grim. Even if a ceasefire holds and crossings reopen, the donkey population will take years to recover, and the animals that remain are often injured, malnourished or traumatised. The price bubble may eventually burst if trade resumes and foreign buyers shift to cheaper markets, but for now, owning a donkey is one of the few remaining forms of wealth and security available to ordinary families. The fact that a simple working animal can fetch $30,000 in a place where most people struggle to afford bread is a harsh illustration of how distorted an economy becomes when war, blockade and external demand converge.

**Fontes**

The information in this article is based on public reports from international news agencies that have documented the rise in livestock prices in Gaza, market data shared by local traders and relief workers, and statements from humanitarian organisations operating in the region. No individuals have been named because the security situation prevents safe verification of identities or quotations. The trend in UK demand for donkey products reflects patterns previously reported by animal welfare groups and trade publications, though specific trade volumes are not officially published at this level of detail.