Jerusalem (AFP) – Shopkeepers in Jerusalem’s typically bustling Old City struggle with the downturn in tourism since the war began. “Something like this I did not see in all my life,” says one souvenir shop owner, adding that the decline is worse than during the Covid-19 pandemic. Shopsellers say it has been quiet since October 7 when Hamas militants stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip and killed at least 1,400 people and Israel’s relentless bombing campaign that has killed more than 9,000 people, mainly civilians.
