Sawt Falasteen - Classic cars back on the road - in Gaza City

Munir al-Shandi, 42, is among a handful of vintage car enthusiasts in the Gaza Strip, defying a punishing Israeli siege imposed on the Palestinian coastal enclave to pursue a passionate hobby.

As he drives a 1929 Mercedes-Benz Gazelle, which he restored, through Gaza's cratered roads, young children run after him in excitement, reaching out to touch the car's pristine bodywork.

"Everyone in the street is amazed and asks to take pictures," Shandi, a mechanic, told AFP as he showcased the replica of the vintage car he had assembled in his workshop.

"The restoration would have been faster and the quality and shape better if the materials had been available."

Around 2.3 million Palestinians live in the territory, which has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since the Islamist group Hamas seized power there in 2007.

There is a ban on importing a range of goods, including car parts, as Israel claims these may be used in producing explosives to be used against it.

Israel says that its land, air, and sea blockade of Gaza is necessary to protect it from rocket and other attacks from Hamas.

- Sourcing spares -

But such obstacles have not stopped Shandi, and the Gazelle is not the only vintage vehicle he has rebuilt.

He is also the proud owner of a 1946 Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane, which he has restored.

Shandi began work on the Gazelle in 2015 at his workshop in eastern Gaza City.

He used locally available items as much as possible, although he also had to rely on friends outside Gaza to procure some spare parts.

His friends brought the parts in through the Rafah crossing on Gaza's border with Egypt, he said.

"I brought in through friends of mine in the UAE some spare parts for the car, and they in turn imported them from America, but they took eight months to arrive," he said.

The restoration took a whole year.

Shandi said his passion developed as a child, and at 15 he began working in a garage.

He left Gaza in 2003 for the United Arab Emirates, where he worked with a company specialising in old and vintage cars that gave him a wealth of experience.

In 2009, he returned to the Gaza Strip, where he opened his workshop and poured any profits into his hobby -- restoring vintage cars.

- 'Not for sale' -

With its red leather and wooden interior, Shandi's Mercedes has only fuelled his passion for classic cars of the past.

Two years ago, he found his next project -- the wreck of a British Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane, a luxury vehicle that was produced between 1946 and 1953.

"The car has its original engine. I tried to match it with its original shape by using certain parts from other cars or close to them, and I modified them," Shandi said.

In his workshop hang the frames of a 1960 German Audi and a 1951 American Ford, as well as a 1975 Swedish Saab.

He is determined to restore all three vehicles.

Shandi said a number of people have contacted him to offer vast sums for the restored cars, but he turned them down.

"This is a hobby," he said. "The cars are not for sale, although many people abroad have contacted me and asked to buy them."

Even if he did want to sell, "getting them out of the Strip would be impossible because of the blockade".

Several years ago, Shandi applied for a permit to work in Israel, but was denied. The increased income would have allowed him to restore more vehicles, he added.

His dream is to take part in an "international exhibition" for vintage cars, but that may have to wait.

V.AbuAwwad--SF-PST