Before war broke out between Israel and Hamas, Jeremy Welfeld’s brewery in the Israeli town of Emek Hefer produced 50,000 litres of beer a month, while his 14 restaurants around the country drew in thousands of customers each day.

In the two weeks since the conflict erupted, Welfeld’s businesses have ground to a halt. The brewery has produced nothing; 12 of his 14 restaurants are closed; and in one of the two that remain open, just five people came in during lunch hour on Thursday.

“On a normal day it’s between 50 and 150 people. Do you even open a restaurant [in these circumstances]? I can’t afford my overheads,” he said. “I’m not sure how exactly this is going to play out. It might really be the last straw that might bring down the company.”