A blacksmith in Gaza has been collecting scrap metal from construction sites, including of homes destroyed in Israeli military strikes, and is recycling them into house furniture and miniature models of vehicles and animals.
Fakher Hamad, 35, has worked as a blacksmith since he was 13. He does all kinds of metal work in his workshop in Gaza and is one of the few blacksmiths who uses scrap metal to make items that could be used for household purposes.
The father of five makes miniature scorpions, motorcycles, trees, animals, or house decorations from scrap metal that he collects himself or buys from people, reported Reuters.
His younger brother, Khamis, said Fakher buys metal from demolished houses for a minimal price and uses window bars to make works of art.
“I recycle the purchased metal and sell them back for the same people for lower prices,” Khamis quoted his brother as saying.
Fakher Hamad refuses to sell his first works of art, but is willing to make a copy of it for anyone who is interested.
A customer offered him 1,000 shekels, or about $286 for his miniature motorcycle, but he turned down the offer.
Hamad’s old workshop was destroyed when an Israeli plane bombed a nearby security post, he said, but he used little of the help he received to open a new one.
He lost his hearing in an accident when he was young, which makes it difficult for him to express himself well. Some of his colleagues sometimes have to explain his words to clients, but this does not affect his work.
Mohammad Rabaiaa, 26, one of the workers at Hamad’s workshop, said his interaction with clients is smooth, adding that he can get his point across usually on his own.
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