Heat wave in Gaza kills 200,000 poultry

The heat wave affecting the Gaza Strip has caused the death of large numbers of chickens and affected egg yields, farmers have reported.

In a tour of the ranches, Husseiny Muhammad, owner of one of the farms falling to the east of Gaza, said that they were surprised by the immense heat wave which enveloped the area. After rushing to his farm he found a number of chicken dying, there was no time to rescue many of them because of the electricity cut, and because the farms do not possess adequate means of protection due to the difficult economic situation families and poultry farmers are living in.

The temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius and more, and after the nylon cover was removed and water sprayed, the temperature fell to 35 degrees but that is still high and the chickens are still dying.

The issue was considered a disaster according to experts who estimated that the damage hit most of the poultry farms in the Gaza Strip killing more than half of the chickens.

Initial reports estimate that 200,000 chickens have died so far.