Abstract

The Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba Meyen, 1833) is a deep-water species rarely seen near the coast. Previous studies have not reported the presence of this species in the Mediterranean waters of the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Therefore, this modest study reveals the first record of it in the Gaza Strip, and examines its capture and consumption by Gazans suffering from the famine imposed by Israel during its war following October 7, 2023. The current study relied on collecting data related to the Striped Dolphin by monitoring news websites and social media platforms to cover this rare event in the Gaza Strip. The results showed that the capture of the Striped Dolphin by a fisherman in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, in January 2025, represented a new addition to the two species known to be present in the Mediterranean waters of the Gaza Strip, namely the Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus Montagu, 1821) and the Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis Linnaeus, 1758). Despite conflicting reports about whether the Striped Dolphin washed ashore or was caught in a fishing net, the fisherman took the dolphin home, cooked it, and distributed it among Gazan families who have been suffering from hunger, famine, protein deprivation, poverty, and diseases for months under the Israeli war and blockade on the Gaza Strip. The event seems very strange to Gazans, where fishermen have for decades been returning the dolphins they by-catch to the sea, believing them to be of ecological importance and not part of their diet. The incident of Gazans eating a Striped Dolphin received unprecedented coverage on social media platforms and in Palestinian, Israeli, and international media. Some excused the Gazans for their behavior under their difficult circumstances, while others blamed them and described them as enemies of the environment and its preservation, despite the fact that eating endangered marine creatures, including dolphins, is common in many countries, both developed and developing.

Keywords:First record; Striped Dolphin; Stenella coeruleoalba; By-catch; Stranding; Consumption; Famine; Israeli war; Media coverage; Gaza Strip; Palestine