Gaza Grape Harvest Hit by Too Much Sun, Not Enough Rain 

A Palestinian farmer picks up grapes at a field in Gaza City August 21, 2023. (Reuters)
A Palestinian farmer picks up grapes at a field in Gaza City August 21, 2023. (Reuters)
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Gaza Grape Harvest Hit by Too Much Sun, Not Enough Rain 

A Palestinian farmer picks up grapes at a field in Gaza City August 21, 2023. (Reuters)
A Palestinian farmer picks up grapes at a field in Gaza City August 21, 2023. (Reuters)

Grape harvests in Gaza have been hit hard by relentless heat waves and a lack of rain, leaving farmers in the Palestinian enclave worried for their livelihood.

Grapes are a favorite treat among Gaza's residents and vineyards cover much of its farmland.

But they are particularly sensitive to shifting temperatures and weather patterns, and like in other regions across the world, there is reason for concern.

Ibrahim Abu Owayyed comes from a family of growers. His vineyard was passed down from his father and grandfather. He saw his harvest plummet to 1.5 tons compared to five tons of grapes last season.

"It is almost nothing," said Abu Owayyed. "Grapes are our sole source of income. We and our children rely on it. The heat and the climate change impacted us completely."

Production in the 2023 season dropped 60% from last year to 4,000 tons, according to Agriculture Ministry official Mohammad Abu Odeh. Grapes remain in the top four of crops in Gaza.

"Higher temperatures have also led to the spread of disease, which impacted the already low production and further increased the costs for farmers," Odeh said, pointing to shriveled up bunches of grapes hanging in one coastal vineyard.

At least 1,000 farmers work 1,730 acres of grapes, he said.

The problem does not stop with grapes, he said. Climate change is threatening broader food security in the territory, home to 2.3 million people and under a blockade by Israel.

Owayyed, a father of seven and a farmer for 25 years, said he had to pay double the usual on pesticides as prices rise.

Palestinians say the 16-year-old blockade has crippled the territory's economy. Israel and Egypt also imposed tighter restrictions on the movement of people and goods through the Gaza crossings.

Weak production has hiked the price of grapes, said farmer Khamees Shamalakh.

"The economic situation in the country is bad, people have no income, someone who used to buy three or four kilos is buying one kilo now," said Shamalakh, 75, at his stall at one of Gaza City's busiest squares.



Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
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Cheeseburgers and Chicken So Far Fail to Entice a Rescue Dog Who’s Spent Weeks on the Run in Alaska 

This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)
This image provided by Skylar Young-Bayer shows a trail camera catching a glimpse of the dog Jackie near a trap on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, in Juneau, Alaska. (Skylar Young-Bayer via AP)

In the days after wildfires devastated the Los Angeles area, a formerly stray dog named Jackie lucked into a new life. She was rescued from an overburdened shelter in Los Angeles County, where she faced possible euthanasia, and given a home far away in Juneau, Alaska.

But Jackie didn’t stay long.

The German shepherd-husky mix slipped her collar on the first day with her new family in mid-February and absconded to a pocket of forest. Since then, she has been living by her wits — eluding a trap that was set with food such as cheeseburgers or chicken by animal control workers and volunteers worried about her.

The forested area Jackie frequents is near a busy road. Further, black bears are starting to reemerge from hibernation, raising the potential the dog could have an unfortunate run-in. Volunteers have stopped putting out food and cat kibble to avoid attracting bears.

“Maybe this is what she wants, is to be free and feral like this,” said Thom Young-Bayer, a Juneau animal control officer. “It's not a safe way for her to live here.”

Young-Bayer and his wife, Skylar, have been searching in their free time, often at night, for the skittish canine, painstakingly trying to build trust with her. Jackie has been known to burrow into the soft moss on the forest floor for cover and to avoid looking directly into the Young-Bayers’ headlamps, making it hard to detect her eyes in the dark.

On videos Thom Young-Bayer has taken with his infrared camera, Jackie’s red heat signature resembles something out of the movie “Predator.”

On a recent day, Young-Bayer caught a fleeting glimpse of Jackie in the lush forest, her dark coat helping camouflage her movements among the stumps and roots. He surveyed the undergrowth and surroundings but came up empty — as did a nearby trap he had been monitoring for weeks.

When Young-Bayer returned to a trail where a fellow animal control officer had been waiting, he learned Jackie had trotted past on a frozen pond.

Lately Young-Bayer has been encountering Jackie on every visit. Young-Bayer says that's progress. Weeks ago, if Jackie saw someone, she would flee. He and his wife aren't trying to sneak up on the dog and want to help her feel safe, he said.

Juneau Animal Rescue, a local pet adoption agency that also handles animal control and protective services, has asked that people who see Jackie report their sightings. Given the dog's skittishness, officials want to limit those searching for her.

Little is known about Jackie's history. She was brought into a California shelter as a stray in early January, days before deadly wildfires swept through the Los Angeles area. She is believed to be 2 to 3 years old. Her intake forms listed her as quiet with a moderate anxiety and stress level.

Skylar Young-Bayer, who has volunteered with rescue groups in that region, helped arrange for Jackie and two other dogs at risk of being euthanized to be transferred to Juneau for adoption. Jackie was with a foster home before her adoption placing.

Other dogs have gained fame as fugitives, including Scrim, a 17-pound, mostly terrier mutt who was recaptured in New Orleans in February — in a cat trap — after months on the lam.

Mike Mazouch, animal control and protection director for Juneau Animal Rescue, noted Jackie didn't have much time to bond with her new family before bolting. Officers deemed trying to tranquilize her as too risky because they didn't know if they would be able to find her once she was sedated.

Mazouch accompanied Thom Young-Bayer to the forest last week to disassemble the trap when Jackie came within 50 feet (15 meters) of Mazouch on the frozen pond. Mazouch snapped a photo of her as she appeared between the skinny, tall trees. He called efforts to capture her a “battle of wills.”

“She is not willing to give up, and we're not willing to give up, either,” Mazouch said.