GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — With a long stick that has a curved metal tip, Sanaa Omar, 14, who lives in Johr al-Deek village in the central Gaza Strip, tries to pick cactuses to put them in a basket she holds in her other hand. Nearby, her sister Hind Omar, 13, competes with her to harvest the biggest number of fruits to sell them and make some money to support their families in their basic daily needs.
Cactus, aka Barbary fig, is common in the eastern parts of the Gaza Strip and does not need care and irrigation from farmers, because its deep roots extract underground water. Its stems retain water inside.