Parents are able to sit and observe their children play with the cats through a glass partition as they sip their coffee. "The idea came from my childhood passion for cats since and I wanted to pass it on to people," said Mea'bed. The cafe is home mainly to Persian cats, but also Turkish angora and hybrid felines. For Hala Abu Maghaseeb, 14, who has so far not convinced her parents to get her a pet cat, the cafe was a pleasant and welcome surprise during her summer school break. Some Gazans were less impressed, arguing on social media that most residents were too impoverished to welcome such a project.

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Persons: Naeema Mea'bed, Hala Abu Maghaseeb, Rewa Abdel, Hadi, Nidal al, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Thomson Locations: GAZA, Gaza, Turkish, Rewa